US lawmakers pursuing national compensation plan for offshore wind impacts

Two federal lawmakers from the U.S. state of Massachusetts have announced an effort to create a national policy that ensures fishermen are compensated for the impact offshore wind developments will have on their livelihoods.

U.S. Senator Ed Markey and U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, both Democrats, said Thursday, 22 December, they’re working on a discussion draft of legislation that would ensure just compensation for fishermen, with funding distributed based on wind farm projects in their regions. In doing this, they plan to bring together officials from NOAA, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and stakeholders from involved industries and academia to determine the best process to determine and distribute funding.

“Green energy like offshore wind is our future, and we need to support the blue economy that makes it possible,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “We have been working across the aisle and across chambers to develop a draft policy framework that would create a transparent and equitable compensation strategy for American fisheries in order to keep afloat our blue economy and all its industries as they continue to develop. A state-by-state, project-by-project strategy for fishery compensation creates confusion for both the wind and the fishery industries – that’s why we need a streamlined federal response.”

The legislation would create a trust fund within the U.S. Treasury Department. Funds would be generated from leases for offshore wind development projects, and advisory committees would be created within each of NOAA Fisheries’ regional offices composed of experts and stakeholders in the industries. The bill would also create compensation criteria for each region, and determine how fishermen can apply for compensation.

Markey and Moulton said they plan to work to earn Republican support for the plan.

Earlier in December 2022, nine Atlantic Coast states issued a solicitation seeking stakeholder feedback for a regional fund to compensate fishermen in the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The move from the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia follows on the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issuing a framework for mitigating impacts to commercial and recreational fisheries from wind-power development.  

Photos courtesy of United States Congress