Example Legislation

• Rhode Island H 8083 (2010) established the construction Block Island Wind Farm demonstration project. The state is planning on building more offshore wind farms and awarded a 400 MW contract to Deepwater Wind in 2018.
• New Jersey’s S 2036 (2010), the Offshore Wind Development Act, requires the state to support 1,100 MW of offshore wind power and established an Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits program.
• Maryland HB 226 (2013) added offshore wind to the state’s RPS and established financing support for projects in the form of Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits.
• Massachusetts HB 4568 (2016) established a dedicated offshore wind requirement for the state’s electric power distribution companies equal to approximately 1,600 megawatts of capacity by no later than June 30, 2027.
• Virginia SB 577 (2010) established an Offshore Wind Development Authority to facilitate, coordinate, and support development of the offshore wind energy industry, projects, and supply chain vendors.
• Illinois HB 2753 (2013) authorized research on the viability of offshore wind in Lake Michigan and the creation of permits and leases for suitable sites.

Other Resources

• NCSL’s Offshore Wind on the Horizon brief outlines policies on offshore wind.
• Center for American Progress’s report details how State Policies Can Unleash U.S. Commercial Offshore Wind Development.
• U.S. Department of Energy’s WINDExchange platform provides resources and tools to help make wind development decisions.
• NREL created a map showing the mean annual wind resource in coastal waters.