Offshore Wind for Territories Act Goes to US Senate

US Senators Bill Cassidy and Brian Schatz (D-HI) have introduced the Offshore Wind for Territories Act, bipartisan legislation authorizing offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zones adjacent to US territories American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Currently, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) does not allow the US secretary of the interior to lease areas offshore US territories for renewable energy development.

The legislation guarantees territories receive a state-equivalent share of all royalty payments made to the federal government by offshore wind developers for projects in their respective Exclusive Economic Zone. This amounts to 37.5 percent of qualifying revenues, consistent with the revenue sharing structure established for Gulf Coast states under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA).

The bill also directs that 12.5 percent of revenues be deposited into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.

“This bill gives American citizens better access to electricity, boosts revenue for U.S. territories, and helps protect vulnerable coral reefs,” said Dr. Cassidy, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on energy.

“Louisiana benefits from offshore energy revenue sharing, which helps restore and maintain our coastlines. This bill gives U.S. territories the same opportunity and promotes renewable energy.”

The legislation was introduced in the US House of Representatives (H.R. 1014) by the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR).

“We must pursue every avenue to address high energy prices in the U.S. territories and reduce our heavy reliance on foreign petroleum imports,”  said Rep. González-Colón.

”The Offshore Wind for Territories Act, which I recently introduced in the House, offers a sensible path to achieve this. Specifically, it corrects federal law to authorize the Department of the Interior to study the viability for offshore wind energy development in the Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to each of the five territories. I want to thank Senators Cassidy and Schatz for leading on this issue and introducing companion legislation in the Senate. I look forward to working with them to enact this important measure into law.”

The legislation is supported by the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA).