On his first day back in office, President Trump declared a national energy emergency through an executive order to increase domestic energy production. Already, he’s fulfilling a key campaign promise to restore energy dominance and deliver reliable, affordable, and secure energy for all Americans. While he’s rightly focused on producing more oil and gas, his administration shouldn’t discount the benefits of offshore wind energy and how it fits within a strong, America First agenda.
It’s no secret that President Trump has been critical of wind energy – a fact that is clearly evident in his recent Executive Order temporarily halting offshore lease sales. Yet, this order comes at a time when our country needs a greater supply of power than ever before from all types of sources, including nuclear, fossil fuels, and renewables. More wind production at home, along with other forms of energy, will solidify our status as a net exporter and give the President leverage to negotiate better deals for us across the world.
At the same time, halting offshore wind lease sales has the potential to undermine economic growth, job creation, and investment into our country, which are key priorities for the Trump Administration and a backbone of the MAGA movement. In fact, a recent report indicated that offshore wind project development, construction, and operations are expected to support up to 56,000 jobs by 2030, with the industry set up to invest $65 billion in the United States.
Approximately $65 billion in investments stemming from this one energy source should not be ignored. While the size of the dollar investment is important, even more so is where those dollars will flow. In many cases, those dollars fund blue collar jobs and union jobs across the country and far from the coasts. Those same blue-collar communities shifted heavily away from the Democrats toward President Trump. It would be wrong to turn our backs on the people that trusted Republicans with their vote – and future.
We need to consider investments of these wind companies into an American supply chain and manufacturing sector before taking drastic, limiting actions. Last year, one company commissioned the first Jones-Act compliant offshore wind service vessel, dubbed the Eco-Edison, in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana – a Parish that gave President Trump 75 percent of the vote.
The entirety of that vessel’s construction took place here in America and supported over 600 manufacturing jobs across three Gulf states throughout its construction process. But the economic benefits are not just isolated to those workers - components for the vessel’s construction were sourced from over 34 states.
Thanks to America’s offshore wind energy build out, Nucor Steel established a $1.7 billion steel plant in Kentucky to manufacture steel plating for turbine towers. Meade County, where the plant is located, also gave President Trump 75 percent of the vote. The Brandenburg Plate Mill now employs almost 450 people and has reinvigorated the town by paying wages that are 50 percent higher than the average Kentucky salary.
I recognize that renewables are not always reliable, but we should welcome the jobs and investment opportunities from sources like offshore wind. One worker in Wellsville, New York was asked about a new factory that was opened to manufacture some of the components for offshore wind turbines by the Wall Street Journal. He’s quoted as saying, “This is a very Republican area, and we so often are quick to the gun to say ‘Renewable, solar—all of this is bad. We’ve got this energy under the ground,’” he said. “I don’t think anybody had any idea that offshore wind power could have an impact directly on Wellsville.”
President Trump campaigned on restoring communities that have been overlooked and ignored for too long. Renewable energy companies are helping President Trump reinvigorate and revitalize these same areas with well-paying, blue collar manufacturing jobs. It shouldn’t matter if it’s a well-paying job creating the pumpjacks or steel for wind turbines – these are jobs foundational to our working-class movement.
Yes, we need to reverse former President Biden’s restrictive policies that impeded oil and gas investments and jobs, but we shouldn’t lose sight of how an all-of-the-above energy approach benefits our country as well. The longer the President’s Executive Order is in effect, the greater chance it will result in harm to families in Terrebonne Parish, Meade County, Allegany County, and the dozens of other Trump-won counties that have wind-related jobs. Reversing course on this order will signal that the future of American energy includes ALL energy, and we’ll be poised to reap the economic benefits.
Aiden Buzzetti is President of the Bull Moose Project, an advocacy organization dedicated to a dominant American future
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