Statement: Jobs Act Critical to Continued Offshore Wind Development

President Biden today unveiled his American Jobs Plan, a comprehensive proposal to move America forward with historic capital investment to improve competitiveness, create millions of jobs, rebuild infrastructure, and position the U.S. economy to face future challenges, both economic and the result of climate change. This ambitious new plan includes further investments in the offshore wind industry by upgrading the nation’s transmission system, revitalizing our ports critical to offshore wind operations, supporting domestic supply chain manufacturing, and investing in cutting edge research and development like floating offshore wind.

The $2 trillion dollar infrastructure plan follows Monday’s historic White House Offshore Wind Roundtable dedicated to offshore wind development in the U.S., and showcases the central role the industry plays in the Administration’s goals of creating both well-paying jobs and a clean, reliable energy grid. Last year, the Business Network for Offshore Wind released an important report bringing light to the need for transmission planning to support offshore wind development. The Administration’s plan calls for upgrading and hardening the nation’s transmission grid through funding and credits. The infrastructure proposal supports the domestic offshore wind supply chain by calling for billions of dollars to revitalize American ports, boost domestic manufacturers through tax credits and financing, and create a new office dedicated to monitoring domestic industrial capacity. The infrastructure plan also looks to the future of offshore wind by calling for billions in R&D funding for new energy technologies like floating offshore wind.

The following can be attributed to Brandon Burke, the Network’s vice president of policy & regulatory engagement: “Today’s announcement is a critical stake in the ground for clean energy. The American Jobs Plan is a long needed and important investment in America’s future that further emphasizes offshore wind energy as a cornerstone industry. The President has called on Congress to invest billions of dollars to tackle climate change, rebuild our infrastructure, create jobs, and position the U.S. as a global leader in clean energy. This includes an immediate overhaul of the transmission system – a conversation the Network is already deeply involved in. The Department of Energy’s new Grid Deployment Authority will enable the building of transmission assets that are needed to unlock large scale clean energy deployment, including offshore wind. The White House’s plan to invest in a local supply chain as well as R&D for floating wind turbines, and workforce development initiatives, are necessary for U.S. companies and workers to diversify into the growing offshore wind market, and compete on the global stage.”