Biden Administration Launches Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership

 

July 5, 2022 – Last month, the Biden Administration launched a Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership to accelerate the growth of the U.S. offshore wind industry. This partnership brings together Governors from 11 East Coast states – including all coastal New England states – who will collaborate with the federal government to expand key elements of the offshore wind supply chain and workforce development.  

New England for Offshore Wind has been pushing for meaningful regional collaboration since its inception. It is essential to bring offshore wind to the scale needed to combat the climate crisis. This federal-state partnership will help achieve the goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 and lay the foundation for a robust renewable energy industry by driving the development of a domestic supply chain, maximizing high-quality job creation, and addressing key bottlenecks to the development of offshore wind such as installation vessels.   

This partnership was created as one of several goals outlined by the Biden Administration to advance the offshore wind industry. As stated in the White House Fact Sheet, the others are: 

  • Leverage State and Federal Actions to Strengthen the U.S. Offshore Wind Supply Chain?by endorsing a set of commitments to expand manufacturing, port capabilities, workforce development and more. 
  • Advance the National Offshore Wind Supply Chain Roadmap?to identify needs and a roadmap to deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. 
  • Announce Priority Financing for Offshore Wind Vessels?to support the domestic shipbuilding industry to build specialized installation vessels right here in America. 

This is the first offshore wind partnership we have seen at this scale and lays a strong foundation for future regional and federal collaboration. We commend the five coastal New England states for joining this partnership and working with the federal government and fellow states to build a robust domestic supply chain and foster meaningful progress on responsibly developed offshore wind in the United States.