Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
A group that's influential with Republicans is planning to highlight offshore wind's economic benefits to win over policymakers who are skeptical of the renewable energy source.
Why it matters: CRES Forum's effort to counter anti-wind narratives comes as President-elect Trump and Republicans criticize offshore projects as expensive boondoggles that harm the environment and kill whales.
What they're saying: Offshore wind "gets all this crazy misinformation," said Christina Baworowsky, CRES' vice president of policy and advocacy.
- "If offshore wind can drive resiliency of coastal communities, that's a story that I think Republicans should love and care about," Baworowsky said.
The big picture: CRES Forum on Wednesday plans to drop a report — first shared with Axios — on offshore wind's economic benefits.
- The report estimated 43,000 to 80,000 jobs per year will be supported during the years of offshore wind construction.
- Construction could support about $19 billion to $42 billion in labor income and earnings, and $34.4 billion to $78.7 billion in GDP growth, it projected.
- The jobs pay workers $70,000 to $121,000, which the report notes is far higher than the median U.S. wage of $48,000.
Context: The report acknowledged U.S. offshore wind is still in its "early stage of development" with just three facilities with 173 megawatts of operating offshore wind capacity.
What we're watching: CRES plans to share the report with Republican lawmakers, beginning with the Louisiana delegation, Baworowsky said.
- We're also eager to see how involved Susan Collins — the Senate Appropriations Committee's incoming chair and a backer of offshore wind in her state — becomes with the issue.
