The changing of the guard in the White House has opened the door to a golden age of clean energy that has the capacity to boost the job market and halt climate change. The Biden administration’s incumbency to build back better includes well-defined offshore wind energy initiatives that support the administration’s push for a clean energy revolution. President Biden’s re-entry into the Paris Climate Agreement was just the beginning. Specific wind energy goals and a transition plan for U.S. workers in the fossil fuel and coal sectors into clean energy is the tip of the iceberg in America’s new long-term clean energy roadmap.
A Focus on Offshore Wind Energy Means More Jobs
Wind energy is a process where turbines convert kinetic energy produced by wind into sustainable power. Collected wind energy is converted into electricity via a connected generator. The U.S. Departments of Interior, Energy, and Commerce have joined together to create a goal of generating 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the U.S. by 2030. Doing so will open the door for 44,000 workers to enter the industry directly and 33,000 additional jobs in community infrastructure needed to support offshore wind activities. On top of new jobs, workers who faced severe health risks in the fossil fuel and coal industries will have the opportunity to transition to the forefront of the clean energy industry in less risky good-paying union jobs.
New Wind Energy Locations in the New York Bight
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be announcing the development and construction of a new wind energy area in a portion of shallow water between Long Island and the New Jersey coast known as the New York Bight. The project is expected to produce 25,000 jobs between 2022 and 2030, and 7,000 jobs in the surrounding areas. Once construction is completed, about 4,000 permanent operations and maintenance positions will be needed to run the project, and clean energy produced at this location will support the largest metropolitan area in the U.S.
Biden’s Climate Focus Indicates That Climate Change is Now a Climate Emergency
The Scientific American announced that the term climate change no longer accurately describes the state of crisis that the Earth is experiencing, and will instead use the term climate emergency. The Biden administration’s urgency mimics this mentality, and the White House has committed to investing in infrastructure to support offshore wind technology. Grants, loan programs, research and development, and eliminating information silos are part of President Biden’s comprehensive plan that spans the gamut of jobs to research.
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Abigail Baker is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. in partnership with Abby Iron Doors, a wrought iron door manufacturer.
Article courtesy of Happy Writers.