[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 133 (Friday, August 10, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   OFFSHORE WIND FOR TERRITORIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 10, 2018

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the ``Offshore Wind for 
Territories Act,'' which would authorize wind energy development off 
the coasts of all 5 U.S. territories.
  I thank my colleagues--Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon from 
Puerto Rico, Congresswoman Radewagen from American Samoa, and 
Congressman Soto from Florida--for their support as original 
cosponsors.
  Guam and the other territories remain heavily reliant on costly 
imports of foreign-refined petroleum for electricity generation and 
transportation fuel.
  Electricity usage and costs for territorial residents are nearly 
twice the national average, while at the same time our median household 
incomes are less than half that of the mainland United States.
  As such, reducing the territories' dependence on costly foreign fuel 
imports with domestically produced offshore wind energy should be a 
priority for Congress, and something everybody can support.
  Current federal law does not authorize offshore development in the 
Exclusive Economic Zone around U.S. territories, which extends 200 
nautical miles seaward from our coastlines.
  This oversight precludes potentially viable offshore wind projects 
near Guam and other U.S. territories from moving forward or even 
getting started.
  To rectify this problem, my bill would amend the Outer Continental 
Shelf Lands Act to include American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana 
Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as our 
respective Exclusive Economic Zones.
  Further, my bill would direct the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 
to complete a feasibility study on the offshore wind development 
potential for each territory, issue a call for information to gauge 
commercial interest, and offer wind lease sales as appropriate.
  The wind lease scoping and sale process outlined by my bill mirrors 
the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's existing process for other 
forms of offshore development.
  Any offshore wind project in the territories must be sited 
appropriately, which is why my bill would ensure that the governors of 
each territory are consulted throughout this process.
  My bill also requires consultation with the National Renewable Energy 
Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Defense.
  My late husband, our former Governor Ricky Bordallo, proposed 
powering Guam with wind and solar energy during the 1970s and 1980s.
  Now decades later, his vision may soon be realized.
  Importantly, my bill would guarantee each territory a state-
equivalent share of all royalty payments made to the federal government 
by offshore wind developers for projects in our respective Exclusive 
Economic Zones.
  The royalty revenue-sharing under my bill is the same as that which 
current federal law provides for the states of Texas, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama from offshore development in the Gulf of 
Mexico.
  My bill would also direct a portion of federal royalties collected to 
support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral 
Reef Conservation Program.
  This will provide dedicated funding for coral reef conservation in 
U.S. territories and elsewhere, at no additional cost to American 
taxpayers.
  In addition to improving self-reliance and lowering electricity 
costs, my bill would ensure that offshore wind development in federal 
waters provides a direct, economic benefit to adjacent U.S. 
territories.
  Given that land is limited, offshore wind development has enormous 
potential for our islands.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
``Offshore Wind for Territories Act.''

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