Louisiana Congressman Carter Provides Information and Gives Statement on Wind Energy Zone Designation in Gulf Waters off Louisiana Coast

Louisiana – On October 31, 2022, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. of Louisiana celebrated the designation of an offshore wind production zone in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from Louisiana. As part of the Biden-Harris administration's goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the final details of two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico, with the potential to produce enough clean wind energy to power nearly 3 million homes. One of the WEAs is about 56 nautical miles off the coast of Holly Beach, south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The area covers 174,275 acres and has the capacity to power nearly 740,000 houses.

Congressman Troy Carter issued the following statement in response to the news:

“Today’s announcement represents an important step forward for our country’s efforts to transition to clean, reliable energy. Offshore wind is a key component to achieving our nation’s clean energy goals to lower costs and cut pollution, while creating good jobs for Americans.

“As we launch major offshore wind projects to power millions of American homes and businesses, we should institute appropriate financial systems to keep investment in local communities providing the infrastructure for the energy production.

“I introduced the bipartisan BREEZE Act with Congressman Steve Scalise to ensure that revenue from offshore wind projects will come back to states and important projects like coastal restoration that are currently paid for by offshore oil and gas drilling.”

The next steps in BOEM’s renewable energy competitive leasing process include issuing a Proposed Sale Notice with a 60-day public comment period later this year or early next year.

Under President Biden’s leadership and during Congressman Carter’s time in Congress, the federal government has approved the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind projects, held record-breaking lease sales, and ushered in billions of dollars in private investment. This growing industry will provide Americans with cleaner and cheaper energy, create thousands of good-paying jobs, and invest billions in new American energy supply chains, manufacturing, shipbuilding and servicing.