Trump’s 10-year east coast offshore energy ban, which includes renewable energy, set to start on July 1
On September 8, 2020, then-President Trump issued a 10-year moratorium on energy development offshore Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, starting on July 1, 2022. The moratorium includes renewable energy.
Several maritime business organisations have this week written to US House and Senate members urging them to repeal that ban. The letter was signed by the National Ocean Industries Association, the Business Network for Offshore Wind, the American Clean Power Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Southeastern Wind Coalition, the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Waterways Operators.
The letter cites a 2021 Wood Mackenzie study that said, “the Carolinas alone could see nearly $45 billion in capital investment and over 37,000 jobs supported annually over the next decade from offshore wind.”
The organisations refer to the moratorium as “a cloud over this energy and economic potential,” and note that it was put in place “despite strong support from the region, particularly in the key areas off the coast of North Carolina where the Governor and much of the Congressional delegation support offshore wind.”
The Business Network for Offshore Wind said that allowing the moratorium would put the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia “at a severe disadvantage as this fast-growing industry continues to grow along U.S. coasts.”
