California, Louisiana Join Federal Wind Power Production Partnership

The White House announced on Wednesday that California, as well as Louisiana, joined the now 13-state Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership that aims to create a supply-chain for wind power production across the United States.

For years, California has been rapidly expanding wind power both on land and off shore to help meet green energy goals in the coming decades, including the goal of having 100% green energy in California by 2045. Recent actions by California, such as selling plots offshore for wind farms, massive new windfarm projects being announced, and new offshore wind power production goals have accelerated wind power production in California in recent years, with more projects likely to quicken it even further later in the 2020’s.

However, the Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership, which was created by President Joe Biden last year, remained restricted to only Eastern states, ignoring many states in the Gulf and on the West Coast. The Partnership, which aims to collaboratively grow a strong U.S. offshore wind supply chain while also providing a forum for new initiatives and coordination amongst states, has long been touted as a job growth boon as well as a way lower electricity bills in the near future.

Last year, the Biden administration hinted that both Gulf and Pacific states would join the Partnership soon. On Wednesday, they fulfilled that promise, bringing in both Louisiana and California.

“Last year, President Biden joined East Coast governors to launch the Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership, with eleven states working alongside the Administration to maximize the benefits of Atlantic offshore wind development for workers and communities,” said the White House in a statement. “Now, following DOI’s recent California offshore wind auction and ahead of the proposed Gulf of Mexico offshore wind auction, both California and Louisiana are joining the Partnership to collaborate with federal agencies and other states on priorities including building an American supply chain and skilled workforce for offshore wind. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards have been leaders on seizing clean energy opportunities that create good-paying jobs, lower costs for families, and reduce climate pollution.”

Offshore wind power in California

Later on Wednesday, Governor Newsom also released a statement, adding, “We’re in the midst of a clean energy revolution, and ramping up the development of offshore wind energy will help move our state off dirty fossil fuels. Thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, offshore wind energy has gone from a distant pipedream to a burgeoning reality. With this new federal Partnership, California will continue spearheading efforts to bring offshore wind energy to the West Coast while creating thousands of good jobs and tackling the climate crisis.”

However, energy experts warned that the Partnership may not be the job growth and cheap electricity boon that both Newsom and the Biden administration have been touting.

“Newsom, the Louisiana Governor, every statement by the White House – they’ve all been using the same buzzwords to help sell this idea,” explained Erin Murphy, a green energy consultant, to the Globe on Wednesday. “Everyone agrees we need clean energy and that it is needed in the future. Climate change, high energy prices for fossil fuels, depletion of fossil fuels, bringing jobs to depressed areas – both sides of the aisle tend to have one of those reasons for supporting clean energy in some way, shape, or form.”

“But the Partnership. They’re trying to sell the idea of it instead of just bringing it on based on practicality. They’re all talking about it bringing good or well-paying jobs or fighting climate change, or other things like that. But they’re downplaying what people really want, which is a problem. Those jobs are going to be spread pretty thin, and cheaper electricity won’t come for some time. What they should have done is not pat themselves on the back like this, but instead make it practical. Buried in here are ideas for a supply chain to help bring wind plants online and hook them up to the grid to help avoid power outages, especially during cold weather events like what happened in Texas last year that caused people to freeze to death.”

“In California, there’s a lot of oil workers who will need to transition to wind power and solar power, and they should have addressed that. Building wind farms just doesn’t automatically mean energy problems are over and that a lot of good, well-paying jobs are suddenly there. It’s a gradual process that can have several things go wrong, and by no means is wind power a cure all for fossil fuels. It’s good that California is part of it but there is a lot off other things they could have done here.”

Other states in the Gulf and Pacific are expected to join the Partnership soon.