Designing a More Equitable Offshore Wind Industry
Sharing benefits from offshore wind development with disadvantaged communities
by Swathi Manchikanti, Stephen Mushegan, and Esther Sosa
The United States is aiming to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, paving the way for more than $12 billion per year in capital investments. Directed appropriately, such investments can bring numerous benefits to disadvantaged communities that have long been marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. This project recommends that the federal government update its offshore wind leasing process to better engage with disadvantaged communities and to incentivize benefits from offshore wind development to flow equitably to these communities.