Letter to the Hon. Joe Manchin, III, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Hon. John Barrasso, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - Cassidy, Whitehouse, Hyde-Smith, King Request Committee Hearing on Bill to Strengthen Gulf Revenue Sharing Program

Letter

Dear Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso:

This summer, we introduced S. 2130, the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act. We request the Committee schedule a hearing to consider this important legislation.

This bill would establish revenue sharing from offshore wind production to support coastal infrastructure and resiliency. The offshore wind industry is rapidly growing in the United States. There are already 16 active commercial wind energy leases off the Atlantic coast. The Department of the Interior anticipates lease sales in the New York Bight and off the coast of California over the next year; it will also begin studying offshore wind potential in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, unlike other forms of energy where royalties are shared with adjacent states and conservation programs, current law requires all revenues generated from offshore wind leases and production beyond state waters to be returned to the U.S. Treasury. The RISEE Act fixes this inequity and creates a revenue sharing model with states that funds coastal conversation programs important to all coastal and Great Lakes states.

In addition, in some states, critical areas that support the nation's offshore energy supply are experiencing unparalleled land-loss, harming communities and the vital infrastructure that supports this energy development. Hurricane Ida and other powerful storms have only increased the challenges confronting coastal communities. In the face of changing coastal landscapes, the RISEE Act addresses these challenges by also making targeted reforms to the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to allow for more equitable resource sharing between Gulf States, federal conservation programs, and the federal government. Responsible revenue sharing allows states hosting energy production to mitigate for the infrastructure demands of energy production and make strategic investments to ensure the resiliency of this infrastructure and protection of communities and vital natural resources.

Thank you for your consideration of our request, and we look forward to the Committee's forthcoming business through the remainder of the year.