Credit: FACE Bee
Credit: FACE Bee
Washington D.C – Today, the Department of Interior announced their plans to pay energy company Invenergy $765 million to cancel several offshore wind projects on both coasts and direct hundreds of millions to methane gas projects. This comes after two previous offshore wind lease buyouts have already totalled over $1.7 billion and been challenged in court. In response, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), California Environmental Voters, Maine Conservation Voters, Environmental League of Massachusetts, and New Jersey Conservation Votes released the following statements:
“This is yet another corrupt deal designed to continue the Trump administration’s agenda to ban clean energy and prop up fossil fuels – an agenda that is raising costs and keeps losing in court,” said Kathleen Meil, LCV Local Clean Energy Deployment Director. “While energy prices soar and working families struggle to make ends meet, this administration is committing nearly $2.5 billion in taxpayer dollars NOT to build affordable clean energy. Congress must step in to stop these deals and hold the administration and any company that accepts them accountable. Everyday people are paying the price.”
“At every opportunity, Donald Trump has made our families poorer, sicker, and less safe in order to put money directly in the pockets of Big Oil and corporate polluters,” Aaron McCall, California Environmental Voters Federal Advocacy Coordinator. “Today’s decision uses our tax dollars to make us all more dependent on dirty fossil fuels. We have immediate solutions to the energy crisis, but the Trump Administration continues to choose higher bills for everyday people.”
“Nationwide electricity prices have risen 16% since President Trump took office, yet he continues to spend taxpayer money to take planned energy sources off the grid,” said Nick Janzen, Maine Conservation Voters Policy & Partnerships Director. “Here in Maine, a robust offshore wind industry offers the best opportunity to reduce energy costs, create new, family-sustaining jobs, and meet our climate goals. The projects Invenergy sought to develop would have been just the beginning of that promising clean energy future. It’s particularly dismaying that Invenergy would accept this deal while a similar one between the Trump Administration and TotalEnergies is still under so much legal scrutiny, both in court and by a Congressional committee.”
“If the Trump administration continues to be allowed to pursue these legally ambiguous settlements, it will cost taxpayers far more than the billion dollars that they already stand to lose,” said Katie Segal, Environmental League of Massachusetts Senior Director of Offshore Wind. “The continued delay of offshore wind is forcing our economy to forfeit thousands of well-paying jobs, millions of dollars in energy cost savings, and critical progress towards our climate goals. In a time of massive energy demand growth, our nation needs all the energy production we can get. This settlement agreement is not smart energy policy, it’s a direct assault on our nation’s economy, our grid security, and on the livelihoods of American families.”
“With blatant disregard for what’s legal, Donald Trump’s latest move to enrich his billionaire oil and gas friends comes once again at the expense of working New Jerseyans,” said Allison Mcleod, New Jersey LCV Interim Executive Director. “With families facing skyrocketing electricity costs heading into summer, it is shocking that we are literally paying to prevent new, clean energy from coming online. This destructive buyout not only represents a cash grab that will lock our working families and local businesses into expensive and dirty energy for decades, but it prevents the creation of good-paying jobs here in New Jersey. It has never been more important that Governor Sherrill and our elected leaders in the State Legislature pursue all clean energy solutions to lower costs, protect our air and water, and generate economic prosperity for the Garden State.”
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