Padilla, King Introduce Legislation to Reward Offshore Wind Developers Who Stand Up to Trump Administration, Streamline Permitting

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced legislation to reward developers who buck Trump Administration demands to abandon their offshore wind leases with access to an expedited route to more development, incentivizing private companies to stand up against the Trump Administration's efforts to kill the renewable energy sector.

"The Trump Administration is doing everything it can to kill California's offshore wind future, handing energy companies billions of taxpayer dollars to walk away from projects that would have powered millions of homes," said Senator Padilla. "This bill makes sure their destructive approach doesn't waste what's already been invested so we can get these leases back to work, create the jobs Trump killed, and keep energy bills low for working families instead of letting his war on renewables cost Californians even more."

"Energy prices continue to rise nationwide, and this administration is taking products offline just when they could be deployed to strengthen the power grid, improve the quality of life, and curb the cost of living for American families," said Senator King. "Offshore wind has shown it can create good-paying jobs, bring billions of dollars in private investment to communities, and add another reliable source of American-made power to our energy mix. This legislation is a concerted effort to onshore energy jobs while bucking the Administration's partisan attempt to pick winners in the energy field. We should be taking advantage of new energy technologies that can lower costs for all Americans - not prioritizing the interest of certain political backers for personal gain."

Last week, RWE announced the Trump Administration would pay the company $1.22 billion to abandon its offshore wind leases off the coasts of California, New York, and Louisiana, and redirect funds toward fossil fuel investments. In June, the Trump Administration pressured Invenergy to walk away from its California Even Keel Wind project, and in April, Ocean Winds and Reventus Power canceled their planned Golden State Wind project in exchange for investments in fossil fuels. The three projects would have generated more than 5 gigawatts of clean energy, enough to power about 2.5 million California homes.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Require the Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer surrendered lease areas to adjacent offshore wind leaseholders at the original per-acre auction price, without requiring Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approval or issuance.
• Return any unclaimed acreage to BOEM to reoffer under the same terms as the original lease, maintaining all prior environmental reviews for conveyances, and bar the developer who surrendered the lease from reacquiring it.
• Pause issuance of new offshore oil and gas leases or permits until all surrendered OSW acreage has been transferred or reoffered by BOEM.

Offshore wind delivers reliable, affordable power, insulating American families from price shocks like those driven by Trump's war with Iran. However, the Trump Administration has increased subsidies to fossil fuel companies and recklessly pushed to increase oil drilling off California's coast while simultaneously curtailing offshore wind and clean energy development. According to a recent Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) report, the Trump Administration's efforts to curtail new solar and wind could cost American families an additional $11.6 billion annually in higher electricity and natural gas bills.

Padilla has fought to protect California from the Trump Administration's efforts to kill renewable energy projects and promote new oil drilling off the coast. Last month, Padilla led 14 Democratic Senators in launching an investigation into the Trump Administration's efforts to kill offshore wind energy projects and seeking answers from four offshore wind companies about the lease buyout agreements. In June, Padilla and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed the Trump Administration's efforts to undo Invenergy's offshore wind projects, including the Even Keel Wind project off California's central coast.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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