Voters in three US states approve offshore wind initiatives

Amid a focus on the US presidential election last week, voters in Louisiana, Rhode Island and California passed state-specific offshore wind ballot measures, which will fund long-term infrastructure projects to support the offshore wind build-out, Oceantic Network, an offshore wind trade organisation, said on Tuesday.

In California, voters approved a USD-10-billion (EUR 9.4bn) climate bond, of which over USD 800 million will go to offshore wind ports and transmission improvements. The funding will help advance the construction of the Ports of Long Beach and Humboldt.

In Louisiana, more than 73% of voters backed a constitutional amendment to allocate federal revenue from offshore wind lease sales in the same manner as revenue from offshore oil and gas leases, directing it to the state’s coastal protection and restoration fund.

In Rhode Island, voters supported a USD-53-million state bond measure for the energy sector, including USD 15 million for upgrades to the Port of Davisville to help it become an offshore wind operations and maintenance hub.

“Voters are responding to the US offshore wind industry’s demonstrated economic benefits by overwhelmingly supporting long-term investments in their regions. Creating these additional policy support structures will enable California, Louisiana and Rhode Island to realise the significant economic impacts that offshore wind energy is already delivering, including driving local investments and creating new jobs,” said Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez, senior director of policy and outreach at Oceantic Network.

Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election has caused concerns in the renewable energy sector. The president-elect is well known as a huge opponent of wind energy, particularly offshore wind, and has pledged to end such projects through an executive order on day one of his new term.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.942)

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