Contact: Casey Skeens, SkeensC@NWF.org, 202-797-6808
October 3, 2018
ELM Action Fund and NWF Action Fund Ask Baker and Gonzalez to Accelerate Responsible Development of MA Offshore Wind Resources
As Election Day grows near, the Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund and the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund sought a guarantee that the next Governor of Massachusetts would ensure that our state maintains a leadership role in launching the nation’s offshore wind industry.
Both campaigns were eager to participate, further demonstrating that steps the Commonwealth has taken on energy issues in recent years are moving Massachusetts in the right direction.
By signing the commitment, both Governor Baker and Secretary Gonzalez agreed to speed up the process to secure offshore wind and to work with our neighbors to bring even more offshore wind to the region. Specifically, they agreed to the following:
“I pledge to take all necessary steps to ensure that Massachusetts remains a leader in the effort to launch the nation’s offshore wind industry. Specifically, after taking office I will direct the relevant state agencies to:
- Ensure that the existing offshore wind requirements pursuant to Section 83(c) of the Energy Diversity Act of 2016 are fulfilled, including the timely solicitation and selection of responsibly developed project(s) to fulfill the remaining 800 MW offshore wind commitment on or before June 2019.
- Complete the study of an additional 1,600 MW of offshore wind as required by the 2018 Clean Energy Future Act by May 2019. If this study shows that additional offshore wind power is economically advantageous, direct the Department of Energy Resources to instruct the state’s utilities to begin the solicitation and contracting process for this additional 1,600 MW of offshore wind no later than 2025.
- Explore the possibility of developing a joint offshore wind power procurement with other New England states.”
“We at ELM look forward to working with the next Governor to continue moving Massachusetts toward a clean energy future. It is a testament to the importance of increasing our wind energy and doing so quickly that both candidates were so willing to make this commitment,” said Eric Wilkinson, General Counsel and Director of Energy Policy for ELM.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Massachusetts’ leaders to ensure the Commonwealth keeps reaching higher in pursuit of a clean energy future. Responsibly developing offshore wind power will create thousands of jobs and drastically reduce the Commonwealth’s contribution to climate change, so we applaud both gubernatorial candidates for recognizing this golden opportunity far off our shores and committing to further action to harness its many economic and environmental benefits for the region,” said Catherine Bowes, Senior Advisor for the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund.