April 12, 2021
The Biden administration has already made a big bet on offshore wind, elevating the technology among the suite of options that deserve strategic attention. This support recognizes its potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions, create good jobs, and drive investment in associated infrastructure, especially along the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Such a correction was long overdue: at year-end 2020, the United States accounted for just 0.1 percent of the world’s installed capacity for offshore wind (versus 17 percent for onshore wind). For years, projects had languished in a regulatory process that was too slow, leaving the United States far behind China and several European countries. This may finally be changing.