Rep. Dan Goldman Leads Effort to Streamline Permitting for Offshore Wind Projects

 

 

Washington, D.C – Congressman Dan Goldman led 18 of his Democratic colleagues in writing to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Chair Congressman Mike Simpson (ID-02) and Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (ME-01) requesting they robustly fund the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Office of Renewable Energy Programs, as well as include language in the FY26 budget to find increased efficiencies in the permitting process for offshore wind projects, which are an economic and national security imperative. 

 

“We request that you take action to ensure robust funding for the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Office of Renewable Energy Programs that supports the timely review and permitting of offshore wind projects. We also ask that you include report language in the bill that supports finding increased efficiencies in the federal permitting process to allow for projects to come online as fast and proficiently as possible, without compromising the safety and integrity of the review process,” the Members began. 

 

Permitting, constructing, and connecting offshore wind to the energy grid is imperative to ensuring the United States’ long-term energy needs are met. Domestic energy demands are projected to rise 50% by 2050 as a result of crypto and AI, and offshore wind will be an essential part of generating the energy necessary to meet the future. However, the benefits of offshore wind extend beyond energy capacity.  

 

“By the end of 2024, the industry had already announced more than $9.5 billion in supply chain investments, including investing in the creation of nearly 40 new domestic vessels to serve offshore wind projects. These jobs are inextricably intertwined with project permitting timelines, and investing in BOEM’s permitting capacity will increase job security for thousands of Americans and investment confidence for developers,” the Members wrote. 

 

Additionally, offshore wind provides a local, reliable, and infinite source of energy, independent of geopolitical rivals and fluctuations in global energy markets. Fully funding the BOEM’s Office of Renewable Energy Programs and streamlining project permitting will strengthen American manufacturing and make us a world leader in spearheading the green energy transition. Failing to prioritize offshore wind in the federal budget will allow China and other nations to fill the gap. 

 

“Committing our support to technologies like offshore wind will also help diversify our grid, making it more safe, reliable, and resilient. It is imperative that we provide BOEM with the resources they need to facilitate the timely, efficient, reliable and accurate review of offshore wind project applications so we don’t slow down this momentum,” the Members wrote. 

 

 

 

 

Dear Chair Simpson and Ranking Member Pingree, 

 

As you prepare the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we request that you take action to ensure robust funding for the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Office of Renewable Energy Programs that supports the timely review and permitting of offshore wind projects. We also ask that you include report language in the bill that supports finding increased efficiencies in the federal permitting process to allow for projects to come online as fast and proficiently as possible, without compromising the safety and integrity of the review process. As energy demand soars across the country, it is vitally important that we diversify our grid, support energy production in the United States, and build out an offshore wind project pipeline that can contribute to the “all-of-the-above approach to energy supply.  

 

Current estimates project that domestic energy demand will grow by 2% annually and by more than 50% by 2050. Due in large part to the increased computing capacity needed to sustain rapidly expanding industries such as crypto and A.I., this unprecedented growth in demand requires a commensurate growth in supply. To meet these needs, to truly take an “all-of the-above” energy approach, and to ensure that we don’t fall behind our geopolitical adversaries in the race for energy dominance, we must ensure that offshore wind remains a part of our energy equation.  

 

Over the past decade, the industry has advanced tremendously. By the end of 2024, BOEM had approved 19 GW of energy from offshore wind projects – enough to power 6 million homes — of which 10.8 GW were approved to begin construction. It is imperative that we continue this momentum, in collaboration with other energy sources, to meet the whopping 531 GW of expected grid demand in the coming decades. 

 

The benefits of offshore wind extend beyond just energy capacity. They create massive economic investment and significant job opportunities across America, further diversify energy sources in the event of catastrophe, facilitate energy independence and energy dominance, and advance our geopolitical and national security interests. 

 

According to a 2024 report published by American Clean Power, in large part due to the American energy credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, the offshore wind industry was projected to create 56,000 jobs across the country by 2030. These jobs span a number of industries and are largely good-paying, stable, manufacturing and marine trades jobs. By the end of 2024, the industry had already announced more than $9.5 billion in supply chain investments, including investing in the creation of nearly 40 new domestic vessels to serve offshore wind projects. These jobs are inextricably intertwined with project permitting timelines, and investing in BOEM’s permitting capacity will increase job security for thousands of Americans and investment confidence for developers. In turn, this will usher in additional spending in domestic offshore wind workforce development and supply chains. 

 

Further still, ratepayers stand to gain significantly from the deployment of offshore wind as energy from such projects are projected to save households hundreds of dollars on their annual electricity bills. One study identified that 9 GW of offshore wind energy in New England would save New Englander’s between $2.79 to $4.61 a month on their electricity bill, adding up to about $630 annually. It would also provide nearly $362 million in annual public health savings as it would help prevent thousands of tons of dangerous pollution in our communities. 

 

Finally, supporting offshore wind is a national security imperative. Offshore wind provides a local, steady, infinite source of energy that is not subject to the whims of our geopolitical rivals. It allows coastal areas, oftentimes with little space to build large new generation facilities, the ability to meet increased demand without depending on foreign sources of energy. And it provides a critical opportunity to build relationships in developing nations that expand far beyond energy production. Moreover, if we do not meet this demand, China will, which will increase their global footprint and influence. 

 

Committing our support to technologies like offshore wind will also help diversify our grid, making it more safe, reliable, and resilient. It is imperative that we provide BOEM with the resources they need to facilitate the timely, efficient, reliable and accurate review of offshore wind project applications so we don’t slow down this momentum. While the industry is still relatively new, we have now seen a number of projects successfully permitted and we must learn from these examples and continue to improve and streamline the federal permitting process. As such, in addition to robust funding for BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs, we ask the committee include the following report language in their bill: 

 

The Committee understands the value of streamlining the federal permitting process for offshore energy development, including wind power. As such, the committee directs the Bureau of Ocean Management, in consultation with the Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Defense, and any other relevant agencies to identify efficiencies in the federal permitting process, including unnecessary duplicative efforts, to responsibly expedite reviews while maintaining comprehensive stakeholder engagement, tribal consultation, and environmental analysis so as to ensure that project development processes carefully consider impacts on marine life and ensure co existence with incumbent industries. 

 

Thank you for your consideration.