Wind Energy – USA
The House of Representatives of the US State of New Hampshire has passed a new bill that removes the offshore wind scope from the state Office of Offshore Wind Industry Development and Energy Innovation, and amends several other state-level efforts established to support offshore wind by either withdrawing or modifying them to move away from offshore wind.
It passed the House, 206-163, on 20 February and still needs approval from the Senate. If passed into law, House Bill 682 would ax “offshore wind industry development” from the Office of Offshore Wind Industry Development and Energy Innovation. It would also repeal the Offshore Wind Industry Workforce Training Center Committee, and the Offshore and Port Development Commission.
Additionally, it puts two councils under the renamed Office of Energy Innovation: one advising on grid modernization and another advising on hydrogen.
“This bill is a necessary step in refocusing New Hampshire’s energy strategy on practical, cost-effective solutions that benefit our residents and protect our natural resources,” said Rep. Joseph Sweeney, a Salem Republican who serves as the House’s deputy majority leader, in a statement.
While previous Gov. Chris Sununu was friendly to offshore wind, and the Biden administration boosted the projects, the November election brought changes. Sununu’s successor, Kelly Ayotte, has said she feels the projects are wrong for New Hampshire, and President Donald Trump issued an order last month pausing offshore wind development.
The bill had been recommended for passage by the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee on a 9-6 vote.
Rep. Wendy Thomas, a Merrimack Democrat, argued the bill “removes us from the table of any discussion about offshore wind.” While the technology is expensive, she said, it is continuously improving, and the market may someday favour offshore wind over other energy sources.
