The House of Representatives has passed a measure that would alter rules for manning vessels in US waters, which would be a “gut punch” to the US offshore wind industry, according to the American Clean Power Association (ACP).
ACP chief executive Heather Zichal said that amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will delay offshore wind development.
The provision would mean crews on specialised offshore international construction vessels match the flag of the vessel or be US mariners as a condition of working on the US.
Zichal said: “This provision is a gut punch to offshore wind projects, and it has nothing to do with making the Coast Guard any stronger.
“It doesn’t belong in the law. It certainly doesn’t belong in the NDAA.
“We knew that if this largely unvetted crewing provision becomes law, it will delay offshore wind development and stymie the nation’s goal of deploying 30GW of US offshore wind by 2030.
“We can’t keep saying we support clean energy and clean energy jobs but then pass laws that undermine them.
“It’s a matter of math, not ideology. Today, the US-flagged specialized construction vessels simply do not exist.
“Today, there aren’t nearly enough US mariners trained to operate them. Congress is imposing a provision that will only hurt American workers who won’t be able to build the offshore installations today and tomorrow – without any benefit.”
“We need Congress to replace this ill-conceived crewing mandate with policy incentives that actually build more US-flagged vessels and train more American mariners. That’s how America wins.”