Sen Carper believes offshore wind projects could create thousands of jobs

A bi-partisan group of senators has introduced legislation to Congress that would extend production and tax credits for offshore wind through to 2020.

The Carper-Snowe-Brown-Collins Offshore Wind Bill aims to support offshore wind projects in US coastal waters and in the Great Lakes.

It was introduced last week by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Susan Collins (R-Maine),

The senators said longer-term financial incentives were “critical” for offshore wind projects since they have such long lead times before permitting and construction can be completed.

Sen Carper, who has led calls for this legislation, said it was “essential” to encourage the fledgling industry in the US.

He said: “Guaranteeing these tax incentives through 2020 will provide companies with the certainty they need to plan for the long term and encourage further development even in these challenging economic times.”

“Reliable”

The Senator from Delaware said the support was needed for companies like NRG Bluewater, which is developing a project off the Delaware coast, to create hundreds or even thousands of jobs, and provide “reliable, clean energy”.

The Senators cited research from the University of Delaware that claimed the Atlantic Coast has the potential to generate 330-gigawatts of power, enough to replace 300 large coal plants.

They pointed to the convenient location of the Atlantic Coast resource relatively close to centers of large populations.

Serious

However, Sen Snowe warned that inconsistent financial incentives could harm development hopes.

He said: “If we are to be serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing clean energy jobs we must provide dependability and consistency to tax policies that have a history of working.”

While a number of offshore wind projects are being developed based on proposals off the Atlantic Coast in Delaware, Rhode Island and New Jersey, projects are also being considered for the shores of Maine and the Great Lakes states.

By increasing investments in wind power, we are also promoting American manufacturing” - Senator Sherrod Brown

Sen Brown said his home state of Ohio had “unparalleled” potential for offshore wind generation in Lake Erie.

He said: “With the right tax incentives, Ohioians can power their homes with clean energy produced right here at home. Many Ohio companies are already supplying components to the wind power industry. By increasing investments in wind power, we are also promoting American manufacturing.”

The Senators said in a statement that they are also working on additional legislative measures to support and expand emerging offshore wind initiatives.