Chair Castor Praises Biden-Harris Approval Of Job-Creating Vineyard Wind Project

WASHINGTON - Chair Kathy Castor of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released the following statement on Tuesday, after the Biden-Harris Administration approved the construction and operation of the Vineyard Wind project, the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States, which will create 3,600 jobs and provide enough power for up to 400,000 homes and businesses:

"Expanding wind energy is a win-win-win for our nation, creating jobs, powering communities, and helping decarbonize one of the largest sources of pollution in the United States," said Chair Castor. "The Vineyard Wind project will create thousands of good-paying American jobs and support local industries, making good on President Biden's commitment to put folks to work while solving the climate crisis. I'm especially excited about the economic potential that wind energy can create in American communities like my own in Tampa Bay, where commercial shipyard workers will proudly craft the vessels needed to build and maintain offshore wind projects. 

"Beyond its job-creating potential, expanding wind energy will also help us reduce emissions and make progress on our climate goals. Decarbonizing the electricity sector, which remains the second-largest source of emissions in America, will lead to cleaner air and a more sustainable environment. Just look at the project approved today: With less than 85 wind turbines, the Vineyard Wind project will generate enough electricity to power up to 400,000 homes and businesses - reducing pollution while meeting America's energy needs.

I commend President Biden and Vice-President Harris for continuing to take the climate crisis seriously, and for advancing the technologies and innovation needed to make America a global leader in clean energy."

Background: 

• The decision to approve the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind energy project was announced on Tuesday by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who were joined by labor leaders who have been working to ensure that the project is built and maintained by union labor. 
• The administration estimates that the Vineyard Wind project will create 3,600 jobs and provide enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses. It will also make progress on the President’s goal of generating 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030.
• The project makes progress on recommendations in the Select Committee's Climate Crisis Action Plan, which calls for bringing new clean energy and advanced grid technologies to market and ensuring federal infrastructure investments create high-quality, good-paying jobs.

More details available here.
 

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In June of 2020, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Democrats released the majority staff report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. This report provides a roadmap for Congress—a Climate Crisis Action Plan—to build a prosperous, clean energy economy that values workers, advances environmental justice, and is prepared to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.