Congressman Dan Goldman Leads Offshore Wind Caucus Colleagues in Urging Congressional Leadership to Fully Fund Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Invest in Permitting Resources for Emerging Offshore Wind Projects

Goldman and Colleagues Urge Appropriators to Meet President Biden’s $242 Million BOEM Funding Request in Potential Omnibus Government Appropriations Bill

Read the Letter Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) on Friday led 13 of his Offshore Wind Caucus colleagues in a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to meet the President’s Budget Request for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) appropriations process.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is the primary agency charged with managing activity related to leasing, permitting, and approving projects in federal waters, including for any American offshore wind projects. In an effort to meet an ambitious goal to reach 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, BOEM has expedited and approved projects which would produce nearly 15 gigawatts of offshore wind energy. These approved projects would produce enough energy to power close to 5.2 million homes across the country.

“Unfortunately, we were disappointed to see that in the both the House and Senate versions of the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025, BOEM was funded at levels below the President’s Budget Request,” the Members wrote. “The House version of the bill (H.R. 8998), cuts funding forBOEM by 11%, which is $43 million below the President’s Budget Request. The Senate version of the bill (S. 4802), while it does include a modest increase in total BOEM funding from FY24 levels, still falls short of the President’s Budget Request by $26 million. More specifically, it appropriates $10 million less than the President’s Budget Request for BOEM’s Office of Renewable Energy which is the primary office responsible for offshore wind permitting.”

Following the passage of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have until December 20, 2024, to propose new, final funding levels for BOEM that meet President Joe Biden’s budget request of $242 million.

“To reiterate, Congress’ full-throated support and commensurate investment in the domestic growth of the offshore wind industry is an economic and national security imperative. Creating good-paying jobs across the country and guaranteeing American energy independence by supporting BOEM in the timely, efficient, and accurate review of applications must be a bipartisan priority as you work to resolve differences in the House and Senate appropriations bills,” the Members concluded.

Other signatories of the letter include Offshore Wind Caucus Chair Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Co-Chairs Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Bobby Scott (VA-03), and Representatives Gabe Amo (RI-01), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Troy Carter (LA-02), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Annie Kuster (NH-02), Mike Levin (CA-49), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), and Jerry Nadler (NY-12).

Read the letter here or below:

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson, and Democratic Leader Jeffries,

We write to you today to urge you to prioritize increased funding for the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) offshore wind programs as you work to resolve differences in the House and Senate appropriations bills.

As you know, the current administration has set an ambitious goal to reach 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Despite some setbacks, due in part to supply chain issues and in part to the infancy of the industry, the administration has admirably continued to pursue this aggressive timeline. In fact, BOEM, the primary agency charged with managing activity related to leasing, permitting, and approving projects in federal waters, has already moved commensurately to expedite and approve as many as 15 gigawatts of offshore wind. This recent development brings us halfway to the administration’s goal and will produce enough energy to power close to 5.2 million homes across the country. It is critically important that we continue building on this momentum to encourage offshore wind development, spur innovation, create jobs, and move us towards a cleaner energy future.

The benefits of offshore wind are far reaching and comprehensive. They extend beyond political boundaries, creating economic opportunities in states and regions represented by those across the political ideological spectrum. Investing in BOEM’s permitting capacity will allow us to reap the myriad benefits of this resource across the country at the pace of rapidly increasing demand. The continued diversification of energy sources to include renewables such as offshore wind increases American’s safety, provides good-paying jobs, and brings us closer to our goal of domestic energy independence, free from the unpredictable whims of the nation’s geopolitical rivals.

Unfortunately, we were disappointed to see that in the both the House and Senate versions of the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025, BOEM was funded at levels below the President’s Budget Request. The House version of the bill (H.R. 8998), cuts funding for BOEM by 11%, which is $43 million below the President’s Budget Request. The Senate version of the bill (S. 4802), while it does include a modest increase in total BOEM funding from FY24 levels, still falls short of the President’s Budget Request by $26 million. More specifically, it appropriates $10 million less than the President’s Budget Request for BOEM’s Office of Renewable Energy which is the primary office responsible for offshore wind permitting.

To reiterate, Congress’ full-throated support and commensurate investment in the domestic growth of the offshore wind industry is an economic and national security imperative. Creating good-paying jobs across the country and guaranteeing American energy independence by supporting BOEM in the timely, efficient, and accurate review of applications must be a bipartisan priority as you work to resolve differences in the House and Senate appropriations bills. Thank you for your consideration.

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