ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Opponents of offshore wind energy projects predict that President-elect Donald Trump will eliminate the industry he vowed to end on his first day back in the White House.
But it may not be so easy.
Many of the biggest offshore wind companies took the election results in stride, pledging to work with President Trump and Congress to build power projects, ignoring the president-elect’s often expressed hostility.
Trump has railed against offshore wind on the campaign trail, promising to sign an executive order to block such projects.
“We’re going to make sure it’s done on day one,” President Trump said in a speech in May. “We’re going to write it into an executive order. It’ll be done on day one.”
“They destroy everything. It’s horrible and it’s the most expensive energy,” Trump said. “They destroy the environment, they kill birds, they kill whales.”
Many federal and state scientific agencies say there is. no evidence They are linking preparations for offshore wind power generation to a spate of whale deaths along the U.S. East Coast in recent years. Water turbines have long been known to kill shorebirds, but industry and regulators say there are policies in place to reduce environmental harm.
President Trump has slammed offshore wind turbines that ruin the view from his golf course in Scotland. But many environmental groups argue that the real reason he opposes offshore wind is his support for the fossil fuel industry.
About 65 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity is under development in the U.S., enough to power more than 26 million homes, and some turbines are already spinning in several states, according to the U.S. Clean Power Association. It is said that they are doing so.
Projects currently in operation include the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island, the Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind Test Project, and the South Fork Wind Farm located approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Montauk Point on Long Island, New York. be.
Trump is unlikely to cancel these projects, but he could have more influence over those still in the planning stages, debate officials said.
Bob Stern, who served as director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Protection during the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations, said President Trump is pushing Congress to remove tax credits for offshore wind power that were allowed under the Biden administration’s anti-inflation law. He said it could be reduced or abolished. These credits are an integral part of the finances of many offshore wind projects.
Stern, who heads SaveLBI, a New Jersey anti-offshore wind energy group, said President Trump is calling on Congress to change federal law to strengthen protections for marine mammals, while also banning further offshore leases and imposing changes to what has already been approved. He also said there is a possibility that he will issue presidential orders such as revoking approval.
The next president could also appoint leaders of agencies involved in offshore wind regulation that may be hostile or less cooperative with offshore wind regulation.
Opponents of offshore wind, many of whom are Republicans, said they were blindsided after the election and fully expect Trump to end the industry.
“We believe this is a turning point for America’s offshore wind industry,” said Robin Shafer, president of Protect Our Coast of New Jersey, one of the most vocal opponents of offshore wind on the East Coast. ” he said. “For years, they have been given a glide path by Democratic administrations at the federal and state levels. For this industry, (Tuesday’s) results will present far greater headwinds than they have faced in the past. .”
But Tina Zapir, director of the Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey, pointed out in 2018 that Trump’s Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said: Expressing strong support for offshore wind power generation. And even if the next president rails against the technology, she predicted he won’t simply do away with it.
“Offshore wind may seem to be in trouble, and President Trump has vowed this will be resolved on day one, but the economics of offshore wind will bring manufacturing back to America and bring energy to the “His administration is likely to slowly back away from this claim, as it is independent, when it fits with his overall strategy to do so,” she said in an interview. “Offshore wind power generation may be temporarily hampered, but long-term prospects in the United States are unlikely to be compromised.”
Commercial fishermen in Maine expect the Trump administration to roll back policies aimed at helping build and approve offshore wind projects, and regulators will hold the industry against political changes. He said he was trying to “prepare for the future.” Jerry Lehman, CEO of the New England Fishery Management Association, called on President Trump to rescind his pledge to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.
The offshore wind industry is optimistic and committed to working with Trump, a political ally. National and New Jersey wind industry associations and several offshore wind developers, including Atlantic Shores and Denmark-based Orsted, have similar language appealing to Republican voters on job creation, economic development and national security. issued a statement emphasizing terms that are likely to be
“By combining the strengths of all of our nation’s energy resources, the Trump administration can move forward with a dynamic, safe and clean economy,” Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said in a statement. said. “We are committed to working with the Trump-Vance administration and the new Congress to continue this great American success story.”
However, few Republican members were in a welcoming mood after the election. “It’s time to pack up and leave the Jersey Shore with all its marine life, fisheries, and beautiful beaches,” New Jersey Congressman Paul Kanitra said in a Facebook post, citing major offshore wind companies. said.
Mr. Kanitra said he was looking forward to “a sharp drop in stock prices.” And it was starting to happen.
Many European offshore wind companies are planning or constructing projects on the U.S. East Coast, but concerns that the new administration might try to delay or cancel such projects Wind power company stock prices plummeted. Orsted fell nearly 14% on Wednesday and is down 11% over the past five days. Turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems fell nearly 24% during the same period.
New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew welcomed President Trump at a rally earlier this year, where Trump renewed his vow to eliminate offshore wind power.
“We’re now looking specifically at what that will look like when he takes office again in January,” VanDrew said. “President Trump is a good friend of New Jersey and understands that these projects will have a devastating impact on our communities.”
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