Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in West Virginia v. EPA that curtails the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to limit emissions from the energy sector, the Business Network for Offshore Wind (BNOW) said.
In response to today’s ruling, John Begala, vice president of federal and state policy at BNOW, issued the following statement: “Today’s ruling is a step backward. The trajectory is clear – states, utilities, and consumers are demanding more renewable energy to create jobs and combat climate change. Offshore wind will play a critical role in this transition as a provider of clean, reliable, and affordable energy while creating 77,000 well paying jobs for welders, technicians, factory workers, and ship captains."
Begala said a supply chain of domestic businesses supporting the offshre wind industry is already emerging, attracting over $12 billion in investments in the U.S. market to rebuild U.S. ports, build new manufacturing facilities, and construct nearly two dozen new vessels.
"It’s a great start, but it is not enough," Begala continued. "We need more focus on building a robust domestic supply chain capable of reaching our nation’s ambitious offshore wind goals and to counter fierce global competition for offshore wind jobs and investments. In the wake of today’s ruling, Congress should work to accelerate the development of offshore wind, and all renewable energy, to create well paying jobs and keep the nation on a path to a cleaner energy future.”
For more information, read the:
- Supreme Court decision on West Virginia v. EPA
- White House Fact Sheet on Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership
- Network Slide deck on supply chain metrics
