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For nearly 12 years our company has pursued Offshore Wind Farm Projects on the Northeast and Mid Atlantic coasts and Onshore Projects at New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. During this period, we have experienced the following “roadblocks” in many instances. Not only is the permitting process costly and tedious, but it is also often times quite difficult to predict the timelines for approvals. Additionally, navigating environmental concerns are always at the forefront and the challenges for those negotiating Power Purchase Agreements are nearly constant.

Nevertheless, these two wind industries have made significant strides with environmental entities and have had much greater success with permitting. According to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), meetings with public relations boards and stakeholders have been more comprehensive in the recent past. So, with all of this progress and the documented success of Europe and the UK, I ask:

“Why is the U.S. is lagging so far behind other nations of the world on this very critical issue?”
Is it possible our government and elected officials are beholding to the large oil companies, keeping alternative energy resources at bay?
We must cut the red tape and expedite the permitting process.

American voters must start motivating our politicians by pressuring the special interest groups to support wholeheartedly the further development of Wind, Solar, and Current energy alternatives !! We have to demand government representatives, dedicated to preserving our quality of air, water, and land for the very near future.

Wind, Solar, and Current energy sources can be a solution to the negative impact created by fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources will never fill the needs of the world entirely, but they can replace coal and oil and subsidize Natural Gas as the primary source. We have to start somewhere! This is the place! We can employ and train laborers from the existing coal and oil industries which will provide them a healthier work environment and help secure employment in the clean power sectors. It is certainly not as easy as it sounds. However, we know it can work!

The cost has also impacted the Offshore Wind sector for the developers. Equipment for these projects is limited, especially the vessels needed to construct the projects. U.S. Ship Owners are not building the vessels as quickly as needed by the Offshore Developers and Europe has had difficulties committing their offshore vessels to the U.S. due to the growth in the industry within the North and Central European Countries. Due to the demand and short supply of equipment, the rates soar for both the U.S. and European Developers !!

Other Maritime businesses that can benefit from the Alternative Energy manufacturing are Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers, Commodity/Ship Brokers, American Ship Owners, Terminals/Ports, Stevedores, and Shipping Agents. These entities employ thousands of American workers.

In conclusion, the Wind, Solar and Current alternatives are the answer, for now, to clean our air and water and restoring our ozone.

Please join in with comments and following the voting records of your local politicians.