Laura Deehan
State Director, Environment California
[email protected]
California offshore wind bill clears critical hurdle
Media Contacts
Sacramento- The California Assembly Natural Resources committee overwhelmingly approved AB 525 (Chiu), the bill to jumpstart offshore wind in California bill with a 10:0 bipartisan vote.
Authored by California Assemblymembers David Chiu, Jordan Cunningham and Laura Friedman, the bill calls on the California Energy Commission to make a plan to ensure California builds offshore wind at scale. The bill is sponsored by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Environment California and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of CA, AFL-CIO.
In response to the vote, Environment California State Director, Laura Deehan issued the following statement:
“We applaud this overwhelming committee victory for clean energy and hope that the legislature will continue to support action for offshore wind. Despite the significant progress we’ve made in recent years, our fight against global warming is at a critical juncture. Thankfully, California has already committed to a 100% renewable energy transition and offshore wind will allow the state to provide clean, renewable, and reliable energy to Californians.”
“A recent report, Offshore Wind for America, released by Environment California Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group found that California has the technical capacity to meet more than half of its projected 2050 energy needs (if all homes, buildings, transportation and industry were fully electrified) with offshore wind. Offshore wind promises to be an important complement to solar energy, offering abundance, convenience, and reliability and making it an integral part of a clean energy mix.”
“Offshore Wind for America recommends that states set strong and enforceable targets for the development of offshore wind and the necessary transmission infrastructure. Rather than simply wait for decisions from the federal government, state policymakers need to take their own proactive series of steps on offshore wind. AB 525 sets California on track to go big on offshore wind. We are proud to co-sponsor this bill.”
“We hope the legislature continues to take strong action as the bill continues to move. California must continue to lead in transitioning to a clean energy future, this bill will not only allow us to meet our current clean energy goals, but to accelerate them to adequately address the climate crisis.”
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