Susan Collins Introduces Bill to Expand U.S. Office of Wind Energy

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U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Susan Collins Introduce Wind Energy Research and Development Legislation

Senators Say Bill Would Sustain and Enhance Department of Energy’s Office of Wind Energy, Support American Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/24/19]—This week, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced bipartisan legislation that would increase investment in clean, renewable wind energy.

Their legislation, called the Wind Energy Research and Development Act, would renew and expand the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Wind Energy and award competitive grants to improve the energy efficiency, reliability and capacity of wind energy generation.

The wind energy sector supports more than 114,000 American jobs and provides more than $1 billion in revenue each year for states and local communities. Sens. Smith and Collins say that federal support for wind research and development has already delivered significant results, and their bill is part of a larger effort to accelerate innovative technologies, educate local communities, create more jobs and enhance the economy in rural areas.

You can access a summary of the bill here and text of the bill here.

“Minnesota has long been a national leader in wind energy. The state is home to the two largest wind farm construction companies in the country—Mortenson Energy in the Twin Cities and Blattner Energy in rural Avon. Nearly 20 percent of electricity in Minnesota last year was generated from wind turbines—enough to power over a million homes. With all of this in mind, I’m pleased to introduce my bipartisan bill that would ratchet up wind energy development across the nation,” said Sen. Smith. “My bipartisan bill makes sense because we know wind energy is a rural economic engine, it’s good for the environment, and it’s the cheapest way to add new electricity to the electrical grid.”

“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,” said Sen. Collins. “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.”

The Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2019 authorizes and expands DOE’s Office of Wind Energy for five years and directs the Secretary of Energy to award competitive grants to:

  • Improve the energy efficiency, reliability & capacity of wind energy generation;
  • Improve land-based and offshore blade, generator, tower, and support designs and transformational technologies for harnessing wind energy, including airborne wind energy generators;
  • Increase recycling and reuse of wind-energy components;
  • Reduce cost of permitting, construction, operation & maintenance of wind energy systems;
  • Conduct a wind energy technology validation and market transformation program;
  • Reduce barriers to widespread adoption of wind power; and
  • Develop new wildlife impact mitigation technologies.
  • You can access a summary of the bill here and text of the bill here.

The bipartisan House companion bill is led by Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY 20), Don Bacon (R-NE 2), Joe Kennedy (D-MA 4) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE 1).

This legislation is supported by the American Wind Energy Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Distributed Wind Energy Association, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute.



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Comment by John F. Hussey on October 28, 2019 at 8:47am

Comment by John F. Hussey on October 28, 2019 at 8:44am

Sen. Collins's lack of insight into many (make that most) things is starting to frost my a$$! This is an incredible waste of money and resources.  

R"educe barriers to widespread adoption of wind power; and Develop new wildlife impact mitigation technologies."

That should read, provide more money for the SUBSIDE SUCKING WEASELS!

Comment by Penny Gray on October 27, 2019 at 7:19pm

Political Science 101, when what this planet needs are science based energy solutions.  Words escape me.

Comment by Frank J. Heller, MPA on October 27, 2019 at 6:31pm

Draft an amendment requiring full environmental impact statements for every wind turbine and wind farm. Simply 'developing new wildlife impact mitigation technologies' is a very weak response.

Then lobby her office and show up at regional meetings with protest signs.

Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on October 27, 2019 at 5:48pm

When it comes to voting in the senate, Susan Collins strives to maintain her own perfect attendance. One would only hope she'd give some thought to the spotty attendance of wind and solar.

Comment by Jim Wiegand on October 27, 2019 at 5:07pm

Senators Say Bill Would Sustain and Enhance Department of Energy’s Office of Green Criminal Enterprise that deliberately avoids science and is immune from accountability.

Comment by Stephen Littlefield on October 27, 2019 at 3:32pm

Again senator Collins shows she is tone deaf to the beliefs of her constituents! My vote will be against her carpetbagger opponent, not in support of her! Many people have awakened to the actual uselessness of these monstrosities, and the destruction that is caused putting them up and maintaining them. They have to this point destroyed many mountain tops and thousands of acres of wilderness, all for insignificant incredibly expense electricity!   

Comment by arthur qwenk on October 27, 2019 at 3:17pm

Again, when it comes to this particular politician, Stupid is as Stupid does.

She better retire, or run for office as a left wing democrat.

Comment by Mountain View on October 27, 2019 at 1:49pm

Doesn't Senator Collins know it's a phony energy that is defacing Maine? Doesn't she want to be re-elected? Apparently she thinks she doesn't need the 2nd district. She is out of touch with her base and making a play for fake environmentalists. 

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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