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U.S. Sen. Susan Collins
October 29, 2019
Collins introduces bill to expand wind energy development
By Staff
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has co-sponsored legislation that could lead to growth of Maine’s burgeoning wind-power industry.
Collins and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., recently introduced a bill to expand the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Wind Energy and to award competitive grants for improving wind technology, according to a news release Monday.
The Wind Energy Research and Development Act would reauthorize the office for five years and provide 2020 funding of $103.7 million. Under the act, the department also would award grants of unspecified amounts for:
- improving the energy efficiency, reliability and capacity of wind energy generation;
- improving land-based and offshore blade, generator, tower and support designs and new technologies for harnessing wind energy;
- Increasing the recycling and reuse of wind-energy components;
- reducing the cost of permitting, construction, operation and maintenance of wind energy systems;
- conducting a wind energy technology validation and market transformation program;
- reducing barriers to widespread adoption of wind power; and
- developing new wildlife impact mitigation technologies.
“Within 50 miles of the U.S. coast, there is enough offshore wind capacity to power our country four times over. Offshore wind projects, such as Aqua Ventus at the University of Maine, have the potential to support more than 2,000 good-paying jobs in our state,” Collins said in the release.
“Our bipartisan bill would encourage and accelerate the excellent wind energy research being done on new technologies that will enable businesses to continue to develop this clean source of power, including off the coast of Maine.”
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