Opponents of ocean wind projects off New Jersey and Maryland won one round in Congress Thursday in their bid to block renewable energy projects, while speeding new federal permitting legislation to speed oil, gas and nuclear permits.
Reps. Andy Harris, R-Md., Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, both R-NJ, said the amendment they demanded is “absolutely critical for preserving the Trump administration’s ability to continue its much-need reviews of ocean wind projects off of the Atlantic Coast due to overwhelming safety and national defense concerns.”
The so-called SPEED Act (Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, H.R. 4766) to streamline energy permitting and reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act passed the House Dec. 18.
The SPEED Act is sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee. The bipartisan permitting reform, as its title implies, would compress the review time and approval process for energy projects.
Even with the Trump administration’s animus against renewable energy, some U.S. offshore wind projects like Empire Wind project off New York and the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind continue on against political opposition. Opponents including beach communities and commercial fishermen want to prevent any future revival of Maryland and New Jersey projects.
In a social media post to supporters the New Jersey group Protect Our Coast demanded that Congress “amend the SPEED Act to exclude emerging technologies such as offshore wind. President Trump wants U.S. energy dominance – not wildlife and fishery destruction from offshore wind development.”
Congressman Van Drew claimed early success Dec. 17 after the House Rules committee allowed the amendment to move forward. Without it, the SPEED Act “would have permanently protected offshore wind projects that were forced through the permitting process under the previous administration,” Van Drew said in a statement.
“After lengthy and deliberative discussions on the House floor, the amendment we secured today makes a critical change. It protects actions to terminate offshore wind permits and leases. Now that these offshore wind companies have pulled out, we will keep working with the Department of the Interior to revoke these leases altogether to protect our shores forever from these failed experiments.”
Yielding to the anti-wind faction could endanger the SPEED Act’s prospects in the Senate, if Democratic lawmakers refuse to go along with disqualifying offshore wind development.
Wind power advocates with the Oceantic Network argue that discriminating against their sector is a bad precedent.
“Permitting reform is the foundation for protections that all American energy sectors need to directly support our country's economic and energy security, unlocking private investment required to build America’s energy infrastructure and secure our position globally,” said Sam Salustro, Oceantic’s senior vice president of policy and market affairs.
“Oceantic is disappointed in the late inclusion of an amendment which is discriminatory toward renewable energy, inviting additional, harmful actions while undermining the intent for tech neutrality and universal permitting certainty. We encourage senators on both sides of the aisle to restore the heart of bipartisan permitting reform and ensure that all American energy sectors are treated equally so all forms of much-needed power reach the grid, lower costs for ratepayers, and create jobs.”
Other industry groups reacting to the House action sought to navigate the politics of renewables and legacy energy.
“At a time of unprecedented electricity demand, our outdated permitting processes can no longer stand in the way of unleashing American energy dominance,” the Edison Electric Institute. “We value Chairman Westerman’s leadership and urge the Senate to take the next step on this common-sense legislation that will help provide relief for customers and support the energy infrastructure that powers the American economy.”
“We will also continue to work to make America’s permitting system more predictable and more durable for all forms of energy, and to bring more electrons on the grid.”
