These Federal Policies Could Help Offshore Wind Jump Start America’s Economic Recovery

These Federal Policies Could Help Offshore Wind Jump Start America’s Economic Recovery

We are a nonpartisan climate policy think tank helping policymakers make informed energy policy choices and accelerate clean energy by supporting the policies that most effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.. Federal policymakers seeking high-paying jobs that can't be outsourced and secure stable investment that revitalizes U.S. communities should consider four low-cost policy actions that could unlock offshore wind's billion-dollar economic potential.. Offshore wind represents more than 2,000 GW of total energy resource potential for the U.S., or nearly double total national electricity use.. Europe's success kickstarting the offshore wind industry demonstrates that it can generate affordable, reliable, and clean energy - and state policymakers have leaned into the technology in setting ambitious decarbonization targets.. The first U.S. operational offshore wind project, Rhode Island's 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm, came online in December 2016, and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) forecasts up to 30 GW of offshore wind capacity will be operational by 2030.. An abandoned steel mill site in Baltimore has come back to life as a staging area for turbine assembly and could become a turbine manufacturing facility.. One policy lesson stands out for energy technologies, especially emerging ones like offshore wind - consistent