Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - November 16, 2009)

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By Ms. COLLINS:

S. 2773. A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program to support the research, demonstration, and development of commercial applications for offshore wind energy, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation that requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program of research, development, demonstration and commercial application to advance offshore wind turbine technology. This bill will advance the goal of the Department of Energy to produce 20 percent of our Nation's electricity from wind resources by 2030.

Mr. President, 61 percent of U.S. wind resources is in deepwater, greater than 60 meters, 197 feet, depth. Winds at these locations are stronger and more consistent than closer to shore or on land. But, it will take technological advances to harness this energy efficiently and cost-effectively.

This bill will focus national efforts to develop offshore wind technologies. This should be a national priority because it can produce clean, renewable energy for major U.S. population centers. The 28 coastal U.S. States use 78 percent of the electricity in the U.S. For example, Maine's offshore wind resource is close to the 55 million people who live in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This is 18 percent of the total U.S. population.

Developing cost-competitive offshore wind technology will require improvements in the efficiency, reliability, and capacity of offshore wind turbines and reductions in the cost of manufacturing, construction, deployment, generation, and maintenance of offshore wind energy systems. That is why my bill directs the Secretary of Energy to support existing university centers and establish new centers to support research, development, demonstration and commercial application. The bill authorizes $50 million annually tbo over 10 years for the design, demonstration, and deployment of advanced wind turbine foundations and support structures, blades, turbine systems, components, and supporting land- and water-based infrastructure for application in shallow water, transitional depth, and deep water offshore. The bill authorizes full-scale testing and establishment of regional demonstrations of offshore wind components and systems to validate technology and performance; assessments of U.S. offshore wind resources, environmental impacts and benefits, siting and permitting issues, exclusion zones, and transmission needs for inclusion in a publically accessible database; design, demonstration, and deployment of integrated sensors, actuators and advanced materials, such as composite materials; advanced blade manufacturing activity, such as automation, materials, and assembly of large-scale components, to stimulate the development of a U.S.-blade manufacturing capacity; methods to assess and mitigate the effects of wind energy systems on marine ecosystems and marine industries; and other research areas as determined by the Secretary.

This bill would support critical renewable energy research that would help reduce our use of fossil fuels and improve our energy security. I urge my colleagues to support the Offshore Wind Energy Research, Development, Demonstration and Commercial Application Act.

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