NE4OSW Applauds Next Step in Historic Tri-State Offshore Wind Procurement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2024
Contact:
Jennifer Delony, New England for Offshore Wind
jdelony@ne4osw.org, 603.320.7043
BOSTON – March 29, 2024 – New England for Offshore Wind (@NE4OSW) today celebrated the submission of 5.5 GW of offshore wind bids to open solicitations in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Kelt Wilska, Offshore Wind Director, Environmental League of Massachusetts, and NE4OSW Regional Lead, issued the following statement about this key next step in the historic tri-state offshore wind procurement:
“Offshore wind represents the single biggest lever that New England states can pull to meet their climate goals, stabilize energy prices and build energy security and independence. We believe that states must select bids that contain a balance of quantitative and qualitative (non-price) factors to appropriately value the details that will shape the industry’s interaction with our communities and environment. This balance ensures that developers take measurable steps to provide family sustaining union jobs and equitable access to economic opportunity, while delineating the benefits their projects will deliver to Environmental Justice populations and demonstrating benefits from mitigation, minimization, and avoidance of detrimental environmental and socioeconomic impacts.
We are also encouraged that new tax guidance from the federal government will complement these environmental and economic benefits by lowering developer construction costs and ultimately reducing ratepayer impacts.”
Sarah Giltz, Director of Offshore Wind at the BlueGreen Alliance, said:
“The offshore wind industry is full of opportunities to create good, union jobs and support local economies. We encourage the states to prioritize bids that display a respect for union labor, local communities, and the environment. Paired with investments in building a domestic supply chain for these projects, the benefits of this quickly growing industry will ripple throughout manufacturing communities and help build a clean, prosperous, and equitable economy.”
About New England for Offshore Wind
New England for Offshore Wind (www.NewEnglandforOffshoreWind.org) is a broad-based coalition of businesses and associations, environmental and justice organizations, academic institutions, and labor unions committed to combatting climate change by increasing the supply of clean energy to our regional grid through more procurements of responsibly developed offshore wind. We believe that offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis and strengthen our regional economy, protect ratepayers, improve public health by reducing pollution, and create family sustaining union jobs while fostering a diverse local and regional supply chain.