Washington, D.C.—Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) released the following statement on the 10-year moratorium on offshore wind leasing off the North Carolina coast going into effect:

“I am extremely disappointed that former President Trump’s 10-year moratorium on offshore wind leasing was allowed to go into effect today. North Carolina offers incredible potential for the offshore wind industry, leading East Coast states in both offshore wind energy generation capacity potential and manufacturing workforce. I will continue to pursue every possible avenue to pass legislation that will overturn this moratorium and allow our state to develop this resource, capture its economic and environmental benefits, and power millions of homes.”

In September 2020, President Trump signed an order prohibiting offshore leasing for energy exploration, development, or production off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Shortly after, Trump added North Carolina to the moratorium, which affects both oil and gas leasing and leasing for renewable energy sources like offshore wind.

Congresswoman Ross has led efforts to advance offshore wind off the North Carolina coast, including introducing legislation to overturn the offshore wind leasing moratorium while leaving the oil and gas leasing moratorium in place, and sending a bipartisan letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) expressing support for the Bureau’s efforts to promptly and responsibly advance lease sales of existing wind energy areas (WEAs) and identify new WEAs off the coast of North Carolina.

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