Actress Kate Walsh spent the weekend in Washington, DC, attending the White House Correspondents Dinner and lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the importance of offshore wind energy and federal tax credits to support it. 

“Offshore wind power is a no brainer and we have to do it. Europe’s been doing it for 20 years. China’s now in the race,” Walsh told Politico in a video interview. “It’s an amazing clean energy source. There are ways to build it quickly. It provides jobs and energy enough, if you fully develop it, to energize the country four times over.”

Walsh, who works to promote ocean policy issues with Oceana, spent a day of her visit meeting with members of Congress to urge long-term extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for wind energy, which expires at the end of this year if no action is taken.

“It’s better than a drill. It’s clean. And it keeps us independent,” Walsh said of offshore wind. “It’s not just for coastal states. It’s for the whole country. Oil is finite. Wind is infinite.”

When asked about people who complain about seeing wind turbines from shore, Walsh pointed out that offshore wind farms will be placed at least 12-15 miles offshore, so “you have to have really good eyesight” to find them noticeable.

Walsh also professed her love of offshore wind in a diary she kept for USA Today while in Washington for the weekend.

Thanks, Kate! Keep up the great advocacy work!

Want to learn more about opportunities available in your state - or another coastal location - for offshore wind businesses? We want to help!

As part of our efforts to help develop a thriving supply chain for this new industry, we are pleased to present a series of case studies and state profiles about policies, tax credits, and other incentives for companies who want to become part of the offshore wind supply chain.

Clean Energy States Alliance, in conjunction with Douglas-Westwood and the US Offshore Wind Collaborative, analyzed supply chain development opportunities in 24 coastal states, thanks to generous funding from the U.S. Department of Energy through a contract with Douglas-Westwood. The information in the profiles was reviewed by representatives of the states during the summer of 2012.

In addition, five states – Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia – prepared case studies for offshore wind businesses’ consideration.

Access this new resource by visiting the OFFSHORE WIND SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT link in the homepage’s left-hand sidebar menu.

To coincide with Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introducing the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act in Congress today, Clean Energy States Alliance’s Offshore Wind Accelerator Project (OWAP) – along with the Center for American Progress (CAP), the Sierra Club, and the U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative – released a jointly commissioned report that demonstrates how offshore wind can become cost competitive with electricity generated from natural gas by 2024, even without federal subsidies.

The analysis, titled A Learning Investment-based Analysis of the Economic Potential for Offshore Wind and conducted by the Brattle Group, also finds that building an American offshore wind industry would have minimal effect on ratepayers, a large majority of whom are willing to pay this slight increase for homegrown clean energy that creates jobs, protects public health, and leads to greater energy independence.

REGISTER TODAY (it’s free!) for a free webinar about this report: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/881946832

The first of its kind in analyzing the broader economic impact of developing an entire offshore wind industry, the Brattle Group report finds that the national average monthly rate increase for consumers would be between $0.25 to $2.08. Polls in New York, Maryland, and other states have shown that solid majorities of voters are willing to pay a couple dollars more every month to support local offshore wind projects.

To provide a conservative estimate of the economic effects, the Brattle Group analysis does not include any subsidies such as the production tax credit or investment tax credit, both of which apply to offshore wind energy.

We’re really excited about this report, and how it will help us advance our mission of getting steel in the water as soon as possible. Visit the CESA website to read the report and the accompanying briefing paper, Making the Economic Case for Offshore Wind, authored by CAP Director of Ocean Policy Michael Conathan.

ABOVE: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announces the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 at a press conference in Annapolis. (video)

The Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 passed a key hurdle on Friday, being approved 14-7 for a full vote in the state House. It is expected to pass there before moving to the Senate for consideration.

In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee last week, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley urged passage of the bill, saying the plan will support 850 jobs during construction of the proposed wind farm and 160 permanent jobs once the turbines go into operation. “If we succeed in establishing Maryland as the regional manufacturing hub for wind turbines,” O’Malley said, “we will create and sustain even more good jobs.” O’Malley also stressed that the legislation would have a minimal effect on ratepayers.

Dion Banks, Director of Governmental Affairs for Cambridge International and a member of the Business Coalition for Maryland Offshore Wind, testified as well, urging Maryland lawmakers to lay the foundation for a new industry that will create good Maryland jobs. “We are excited to partner with the Governor to help drive the state of Maryland forward as a manufacturing hub for the United States,” Banks said.

Learn more about Gov. O’Malley’s offshore wind plan for Maryland on the Maryland Governor’s website. And let us know what you think of offshore wind’s potential to bring jobs to Maryland!

This Thursday, January 31, join us for a discussion about the economics of U.S. offshore wind with Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware.

First-come, first-served RSVPs are free for those who can attend in person.

EVENT DETAILS

January 31, 2013
9:30am ET – 10:30am ET

Center for American Progress Action Fund
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005 

Seating is limited. RSVP recommended.

Click here to RSVP for this event

As we wind down 2012, everyone at the Offshore Wind Accelerator Project (OWAP) is thankful for the efforts of our partners. Despite facing challenges from industry foes, offshore wind is moving into 2013 with undeniable momentum.

Need proof? Here are a few recent developments:

• The Department of Energy announced it will fund seven offshore wind projects, including Fishermen’s Atlantic City Windfarm in New Jersey, technology demonstration projects in Connecticut and Maine, and two “twisted jacket” turbines off the coast of Virginia. These projects will be among the first “steel in the water,” so learn more about them – and the other grant-winning projects – on the DOE website.
   
• A coalition of leading environmental organizations and offshore wind developers agreed to a series of voluntary measures to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales while expediting responsible offshore wind development in the mid-Atlantic. This landmark agreement is an important step forward, recognizing that environmental protection and offshore wind energy development can go hand-in-hand.
   
• The Department of the Interior has announced the first-ever competitive sales on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for offshore wind energy. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will lease 277,550 acres in two wind energy areas, one off the coast of Virginia and another offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These areas are expected to be able to support more than 4,000 megawatts of wind generation, enough electricity to power an estimated 1.4 million homes.

Meanwhile at OWAP, we have been busy building and sustaining a strong communications effort around offshore wind. This fall, OWAP’s communications team has produced and disseminated important reports about offshore wind’s special value to New England and the mid-Atlantic; the merits of aggregated procurement, including a blueprint for how to build buyers’ groups to purchase large amounts of offshore wind power; and cost-parity analyses with traditional forms of energy (coming soon). We have also partnered with the American Wind Energy Association to convene collaborative meetings and planning calls with key offshore wind stakeholders.

Meanwhile, our website and Facebook page continue to attract thousands of fans from across the country. We have used this following to support our partners’ vital efforts to streamline information, bust myths about wind energy, and fight back against industry attacks.

It’s been a great year. We’re looking forward to making 2013 even better.