Official: Congress members involved in Vineyard Wind push
Members of Congress have become involved in trying to move Vineyard Wind forward, a top Baker administration official said Tuesday as lobbying intensifies to advance what state officials hope will be the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind project.
Energy and Environmental Affairs Undersecretary Patrick Woodcock told members of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Board Tuesday about the involvement of members of Congress since the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management indicated it would not decide on a key project approval this month, as anticipated.
The 800-megawatt project's future is pertinent to the center because the project has a lease with the MCEC in New Bedford, Woodcock said.
Bids for a second offshore wind procurement are due in August, and Woodcock said the administration is balancing that schedule with a price cap relief measure included in the budget on Gov. Baker's desk. The state's 2016 offshore wind law requires the price in each procurement to beat the most recently awarded contract, and Woodcock, calling Vineyard Wind's price "very competitive," said there's concern that bidders "may not be able to compete with that price."
An outside section in the budget requires regulators to adjust procurement prices for the availability of federal tax credits, inflation and incentives.
Woodcock described an active offshore wind and climate change policy landscape, with the Massachusetts House poised to vote Wednesday on a $1 billion, 10-year plan to help communities cope with climate change impacts, big advancements on offshore wind procurements in New York and New Jersey, and ongoing work with private consultants to accelerating greenhouse gas emissions reductions to meet 2050 targets.
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