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Happy New Year from OurEnergyPolicy!
Ongoing Discussion
By Laura Morton
Senior Director, Policy & Regulatory Affairs for Offshore Wind, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
" States along the East Coast have made substantial  offshore wind commitments , but tax parity and regulatory certainty are necessary to bring these pledges to fruition. AWEA supports energy tax policy that establishes parity between technologies to deliver clean energy at the lowest cost to consumers, and we see several legislative options to get there. Short of a broader agreement on energy tax policy, consumers would benefit from a suite of policies like the  offshore investment tax credit . To ensure the states’ demand for clean energy is met, the federal government should continue processing offshore wind project plans in an expeditious manner consistent with the Administration’s directives and conduct new lease auctions. All capital-intensive energy industries need regulatory stability . A timely, transparent and predictable regulatory environment is critical to providing business certainty and securing tens of billions of dollars of additional investment in the United States."   Read more.
  1. What do you see as the largest barrier for offshore wind to overcome in order to expand to meet the demand for clean energy?
  2. Would an offshore wind tax credit be the most helpful policy to support the development of the offshore wind industry? How much of a difference would it make to the growth of the industry?
  3. How can the United States streamline the reviewing and approvals of offshore wind projects?
This discussion is continuing through the month of January. Any energy professionals with insights on policy for the offshore wind industry are invited to comment!

New comments:
"It is critical that states considering major introduction of offshore wind projects, such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, are looking at whether their utilities’ IRP [integrated resource plan] processes are maximally-competitive for all clean energy options.... This is the largest barrier to overcome for offshore wind or other clean-energy infrastructure, and will have a much more significant impact than offshore wind tax credits." - Henry Goldberg , Consultant
" Expanding and increasing the wind tax credit for offshore wind makes sense to accelerate deployment, which will directly lower costs [and] increase jobs, yielding reliable stabilized electricity costs without pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, or loss of fresh water.... The United States and the world need to embrace as many advanced energy technologies as possible — especially ones that DO NOT require fresh water, have wastes, have globalized fuels, and also produce greenhouse gas emissions. Off shore wind meets every one of those requirements—its time has come ." - Scott Sklar , The Stella Group
New Publications
American Gas Foundation
December 18, 2019
University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment
March 26, 2019
Find these new publications and others in the OurEnergyLibrary.
Podcast Spotlight


This episode of the Offshore Wind Insider starts by looking at the Block Island Wind Farm, the nation’s first and still only operating offshore wind project, and how it has shaped the workforce in the state. It then covers Governor Gina Raimondo’s vision for offshore wind and for positioning the state as a leader in continuing to meet the industry’s workforce needs.

The guest this episode is Scott Jensen , Director of the  Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training , and he shares some of his perspective having served in two gubernatorial administrations in two states at two different stages of the offshore wind industry.
Source: From " The 2010s Were Energy's Decade of the Great Rewiring ," Liam Denning, Bloomberg, Jan. 3, 2020.
Featured Events
Washington, D.C.
  • When: Mon-Thurs, Jan 6-9, 2020
  • Where: Resources & Conservation Center, 1400 16th St. NW, Wash., D.C. 20036

  • When: Thurs, Jan 23, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • Where: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

For more events across the country, visit the OEP Events Calendar.
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