Lawmakers write in bipartisan support of nascent offshore wind industry

Washington (August 19, 2019) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Steve Scalise (LA-01), William Keating (MA-09), and Joseph Kennedy III (MA-04) are calling on federal agencies to judiciously evaluate impacts to the New England commercial fishing industry, finalize the supplemental Environmental Impact Statement promptly, and mitigate any additional delay that may threaten the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind project. The lawmakers sent a new letter to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce after Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced the delay of approval of a key permit for the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project.

“We believe it is possible for multiple industries to coexist in mixed use regions offshore,” write the lawmakers in their letter. “We urge your Departments to work together to find a solution that will address concerns raised by stakeholders, protects the environment, and allows the Vineyard Wind project to remain viable.” 

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

In December 2018, Senator Markey led a letter with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) urging consensus between offshore wind and fishing interests.

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