Washington (February 3, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the Department of Interior announced today that it intends to resume the environmental review of Vineyard Wind’s proposed offshore wind project after the Trump administration tried to prevent the company from moving forward with the permitting process. Senator Markey’s office has convened multiple phone calls and meetings with the Massachusetts Governor’s office, the Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and local fishing and government stakeholders in order to discuss continued progress on the Vineyard Wind project.

 

“The Biden administration is getting us back on track, providing business certainty to offshore wind projects that will power our economy by creating jobs and producing clean, affordable energy,” said Senator Markey. “This is a far cry from the Trump-era delays and denials that put ideology over the interests of the American people. We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and with Massachusetts stakeholders on how to swiftly and responsibly develop this next-generation industry that will play a key role in combatting the climate crisis.”

 

In June 2019, Senators Markey, Tom Carper (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced legislation to expand offshore wind educational and career training. Senators Markey and Whitehouse, and Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-02) also reintroduced legislation that would spur the growth of offshore wind energy by extending tax credits for the renewable energy industry. Key components of their Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development (WIND) Act (S. 1957) were included in the year-end spending package in December 2020, including the provision that extends the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for offshore wind facilities at 30 percent through 2025.

 

In December 2019, Senator Markey sent letters to offshore wind developers Vineyard Wind, Ørsted, Mayflower Wind, and Equinor calling on them to enter into Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for all projects off the Massachusetts and the larger East Coast. A PLA would ensure that newly created jobs in the offshore wind industry would be filled with a highly-skilled local union workforce.