[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 169 (Monday, November 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      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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