Washington (May 11, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.)released the following statement today after the Biden administration announced its final approval for the construction and operation of Vineyard Wind 1, the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm. The Vineyard Wind 1 project will construct up to 84 wind turbines off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and generate roughly 800 megawatts of electricity.

 

“With this record of decision on Vineyard Wind on the books, the era of American offshore wind is no longer on the horizon—it’s here, now, off the coast of Massachusetts, and the answer to America’s energy future is blowing in the offshore wind,” said Senator Markey, Chair of the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety. “Vineyard Wind will be the first of many offshore wind projects to come, and we can use our Bay State know-how to show the rest of the country how to get steel in the water, zero-emission energy on the grid, and union jobs to American workers. Our domestic offshore wind industry—including manufacturing, unionized workforce development, installation, and transmission—is a key component of our 21^st century infrastructure, and I will fight to make sure it is supercharged in any infrastructure or recovery package.”

 

In the last Congress, Senators Markey and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-02) 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. And in June 2019, Senators Markey, Tom Carper (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Whitehouse introduced legislation to expand offshore wind educational and career training. 

 

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.