Regulation, Regulation, Solar, Wind  -  February 21, 2017

Governors ask Trump to support solar, offshore wind

A bipartisan coalition of state governors have written to President Donald Trump asking him to support offshore wind and solar energy projects.

Led by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, the Governors' Wind & Solar Energy Coalition said that if the U.S. does not continue robust federal research and development programmes in wind and solar energy, "we will cede leadership in these critical technologies to other nations that have demonstrated ongoing high priority commitments to these technologies, such as China. We would also cede the resulting economic development benefits to these nations and would be importing the great majority of our wind and solar equipment from them."

In the Feb. 13 letter, the group of governors called the growth of the renewable energy industry "an American success story built on federal research and development, state policy leadership, private sector investment, and ingenuity." The letter notes that "a new chapter of that story" began last year when the first offshore wind farm went into service in the waters of Rhode Island. The group said: 

The group centered its message around the economic agreement for wind and solar resources: 

Members of the coalition have seen the benefits of renewable energy first hand, and agree that expanding renewable energy production is one of the best ways to meet the country's growing demand for energy. Today's wind and solar resources offer consumers nearly unlimited electric energy with no fuel costs, no national security impacts, and a number of environmental benefits. The boons of renewable energy can be virtually endless with your administration's and Congress' support. Your support of these initiatives will allow our nation to capitalize on renewable resources, meet the needs of Americans and bolster the economy.

The group noted that while offshore wind generally provides an abundant source of renewable energy and is "handily located near some of our nation's largest cities and densest areas of population," just one active project currently exists: the Block Island wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. 

The letter follows a similar request made by more than 530 companies and 100 investors on Jan. 10 that called on the Trump administration and the new Congress to support policies to accelerate a low-carbon future. Trump has previously expressed oppositions to wind farms and had engaged in a battle over an offshore facility in Scotland he said ruins the view from his nearby golf course. 

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