Offshore oil and gas is almost an exclusively nonunion industry, often relying on foreign workers throughout the extraction process.11 In contrast, offshore wind is putting workers first. The annual emissions produced from 1 average acre of offshore oil and gas leasing shows the stark contrast between carbon-based versus wind leasing. By comparison, the SCC of offshore wind energy is negligible.42 Even when considering emissions from construction and maintenance, the SCC of offshore wind is less than five-thousandths of a cent ($0.000045) per acre.43 According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the health and climate benefits of offshore wind energy were estimated to be $76 per MWh for installations in 2020—or $3,101 per acre. Justin Worland, “Renewable Energy Continues to Beat Fossil Fuels,” Time, February 8, 2017, available at https://time.com/4662116/renewable-energy-fossil-fuels-growth/; Wind Energy Technologies Office, “How Wind Energy Can Help Us Breathe Easier,” U.S. Department of Energy, August 16, 2022, available at https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/how-wind-energy-can-help-us-breathe-easier. Wind Energy Technologies Office, “Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Offshore Wind Energy,” U.S. Department of Energy, August 16, 2022, available at https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/top-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-offshore-wind-energy.

Source: Washington Post September 23, 2022 10:56 UTC