Sens. Reed and Whitehouse Join Bipartisan Leaders in Congress to Jumpstart Offshore Wind

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Channing Jones

Environment Rhode Island

Providence, RI – Rhode Island’s U.S. Senators Reed and Whitehouse joined U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) today to introduce bills in the U.S. Senate and House to incentivize offshore wind development. The bills would provide an Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for offshore wind power worth up to 30 percent of the cost of the project for the first 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind projects in the United States.

“There is tremendous potential for producing clean, pollution-free wind energy off of our coasts, and harnessing this vast resource requires a strong and ongoing commitment from our state and federal leaders,” said Channing Jones, Program Associate with Environment Rhode Island.  “We’re excited that our state’s U.S. Senators Reed and Whitehouse are leading the charge in Congress to jumpstart the first offshore wind projects so we can make the promise of offshore wind a reality.”

America’s Atlantic Coast has some of the best offshore wind energy resources in the world. But while offshore wind is thriving in Europe, and though officials in many states, including Rhode Island, are working to advance offshore wind, no projects have yet been built off U.S. shores.

“In Rhode Island and in states up and down the Atlantic Coast, the building blocks are being put into place to usher in a bright future for offshore wind. Continued support from a federal Investment Tax Credit would provide much-needed financial certainty for potential projects to move forward and start producing clean, renewable energy while creating new jobs,” continued Jones. “We urge Congress to quickly consider and pass this important legislation to help ensure that clean, renewable offshore wind in Rhode Island becomes a reality as soon as possible.”