Pirate's Cove

Brandon won’t give up his own use of fossil fuels, but, he sure seems intent on spoiling the view at the beach everywhere

Biden’s bold offshore wind energy plans face long bureaucratic road ahead

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced on Wednesday that her office will identify and eventually lease much of the U.S. coastline — from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northeast, California and Oregon — for offshore wind farms by 2025.

“The Interior Department is laying out an ambitious road map as we advance the administration’s plans to confront climate change, create good-paying jobs and accelerate the nation’s transition to a cleaner energy future,” Haaland said.

Combined with previous actions under President Biden to move forward on approving offshore wind projects already proposed, the New York Times described Biden’s effort as “the most forceful push ever by [the] federal government to promote offshore wind development.”

But before the United States can actually replace all of its coal- and gas-fired power plants, a few things will have to happen. And even if the decade-long, multi-step process of developing the offshore leases plays out unimpeded, Biden’s offshore wind plans will account for a modest share of the nation’s ravenous appetite for electricity.

It’s hilarious that Ben Adler, “senior climate editor” for Yahoo News, calls our energy use “ravenous.” Because Yahoo uses a lot of energy. Also, noting that offshore wind won’t account for all that much power. As we learned from Cape Wind, the power production is way, way less than promised.

Past efforts to build offshore wind turbines have sometimes come into conflict with local residents who raise aesthetic objections and businesses who worry about negative effects such as damage to fisheries. So the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM), which is part of the Department of Interior, first determines what areas are going to be leased through meetings and gathering public comments.

“Fishermen, coastal communities, marine commerce vessels, Coast Guard, Department of Defense, offshore wind developers and state governments all have a role to play in these task forces,” Vaughan explained. “BOEM winnows down the potential areas based on those conflicts, like really hot fishing spots, for example.”

And will they listen when people complain?

Before wind farm developers can actually start building, there are also state government permits, and multiple opportunities for anyone opposed to bring a lawsuit. One project off the coast of Massachusetts that received approval earlier this year is now being sued by neighbors who say it will harm whales, a coalition of fishing industry groups and — in what would seem like a joke about hypocritical rich environmentalists if it weren’t true — a solar company executive who has previously opposed offshore wind farms in the area because they would obstruct his home’s ocean view.

And you will get lawsuits from environmentalists for a variety of reasons, as they are wont to do, jamming up the works.

As one might expect, the installation and maintenance of wind turbines in the ocean is more expensive than on land. Whereas wind is the cheapest way to add energy capacity in the Great Plains, offshore wind still tends to be more expensive than natural gas.

So, then why not use natural gas? Seems like a wise decision. Oh, right, these people are doomsday cultists. Let them pay the higher energy costs, see how they like it.

“It starts with federal research and consultation, with having the lease auctions, environmental impact analysis, community outreach and building up the supply chain,” Greene, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said. “There’s all of these pieces, and we need to get the industry going as fast as it can.”

What’s humorously ironic is that the Warmists will be impeded by the same bureaucratic Big Government red tape for this pet project as citizens and private companies have to deal with. Let’s slap a few wind turbines up near Joe’s house, see how he enjoys them.