The carbon pollution from five coal
plants could be eliminated in North Carolina if wind power is developed
off the North Carolina coast, according to a new analysis by Environment
North Carolina Research and Policy Center. The report comes right as Congress
considers whether to renew tax credits critical to wind development.
“Wind energy is a wise investment
for the environment and the economy,” said Rep. David Price. “In
North Carolina, developing the infrastructure to support wind power could
help us meet up to a third of our energy needs while creating tens of thousands
of jobs and an estimated $22 billion in economic benefit. I strongly believe
that wind and other renewable sources are critical to our energy future.”
The analysis predicts offshore wind will
grow significantly in North Carolina over the next 15 years, producing
enough power for 2.7 million homes.
“Wind power can replace the dirty
energy sources of the past and the pollution that comes with them,” said
Dave Rogers, field director for Environment North Carolina. “But we need
to act now to ensure a clean energy future.”
The report, More
Wind, Less Warming,
comes just days after the comment period closed for the Clean Power Plan,
which Congressional leaders are trying to block. The analysis also comes
as lawmakers jockey over the fate of wind energy tax credits in the nation’s
spending plan, due to be adopted next week.
"Offshore wind would not only
deliver high-value energy with no emissions, but it also represents a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to build an entirely new industry of high paying jobs,” said
Brian O’Hara president of the Southeastern Coastal Wind Coalition. "The
economic and supply chain opportunities are especially good for coastal
states with good port infrastructure."
According to the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, North Carolina has the most offshore wind potential of any
Atlantic state. Offshore wind development, which is expected to begin next
year in the Northeast, and is a major source of clean energy in other countries,
is critical to achieving the pollution reductions needed to avoid the worst
impacts of global warming.
“The time has come for offshore wind
power. North Carolina state leaders must aggressively push for this carbon-free
and zero-fuel cost energy to ensure the State will benefit from this clean
and job-producing energy source”, said David Carr, General Counsel
at the Southern Environmental Law Center.
“Speeding the development of pollution-free
wind energy will slow global warming,” said Rogers. “That’s why
our leaders should invest now in healthy air and a healthy planet.”