Offshore wind projects not only face financial challenges, but also need to navigate through federal and state regulations as they require approval from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, according to Joshua Baceches, an associate professor at Tulane University. Unlike onshore projects that only deal with state regulations, the development of offshore projects is slower due to the additional regulatory hurdles.
There is misinformation circulating about the environmental impact of offshore wind turbines, which may sway public opinion against new projects. Despite claims made by Trump about the harm to whales by offshore wind turbines, there is no evidence to support this. Baceches warns that endorsing such misinformation at a federal level could jeopardize the future of offshore wind.
However, Baceches remains optimistic that the momentum for offshore wind energy will not falter. With the decreasing costs of wind energy, he believes that coal will naturally phase out and be replaced by cleaner energy sources, regardless of political changes.
State governments, like Cates Garnick’s, view offshore wind as a promising economic opportunity and are committed to supporting its development in the long run, regardless of political outcomes.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
