The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of 14 projects to address critical clean energy supply chain vulnerabilities and grow domestic clean energy manufacturing in 12 states. The funding from the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program will help revitalize communities affected by coal mine or coal power plant closures.   

We welcome responsible development of offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico and are supportive of U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) leasing Wind Energy Area (WEA) options C and D, as described in the public notice. Whatever leasing path BOEM pursues must meet high labor and environmental standards. This includes bid credits or lease stipulations related to workforce development, supply chain plans, project labor agreements (PLAs), and environmental mitigation and monitoring, in addition to other criteria laid out in this comment. You can read our recommendations to BOEM in these comments.

We are encouraged by the Biden-Harris administration’s plan to hold a lease sale in the Central Atlantic in 2025. The states in this region will require more offshore wind leasing to meet their clean energy goals and we are happy to see this next step towards identifying new wind energy areas. States like Maryland are poised to be an offshore wind supply chain hub and more leases will help support the growing offshore wind industry and the resulting job creation in the region. As U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) considers the future lease areas in the central Atlantic, many factors should be considered, including creating high-quality, union jobs; training and employment benefits; domestic supply chains; ensuring environmental justice; and environmental protection. You can read our recommendations to BOEM in these comments.

The offshore wind industry in the United States can become a model for building the clean energy economy the right way. Read our fact sheet on how offshore wind is a win for workers and a win for our environment.

October 8, 2024 The BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) today announced Eric Steen as the organization’s new Executive Vice President (EVP) of Strategy and Impact.   Steen has been with BGA for 15 years, elevating the organization’s policy platform and vision through external communications. He most recently served as the organization’s Communications Director and has been a leader in environmental and labor…

President Biden traveled to Milwaukee today to announce the finalization of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s improvements to the nation’s Lead and Copper Rule. The new rule will build on the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to replace lead pipes around the country, including a $15 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in 2021.  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the finalization of the agency’s improvements to the nation’s Lead and Copper Rule.

The U.S. Department of Energy today allocated $1.5 billion for four transmission projects across Maine, Oklahoma, New Mexico and the Southeast. These projects are funded by the Transmission Facilitation Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The investment will help spur 1,000 miles of new transmission lines across six states that are expected to transmit an additional…

The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) announced today funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to help finance the repowering of the Holtec Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert Township, Michigan, and reduce energy costs for Michiganders. This includes a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to restore the nuclear plant and an additional $1.3 billion for…

Pause Comes Amid Competitive Market and Tribal Nation, Stakeholder Concerns SALEM, Ore. – The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) postponed the lease auction of wind areas in the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Oregon that was originally scheduled for October 15, 2024. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek sent a letter to BOEM this morning, pulling out…

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Cleveland Cliffs funding from their Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP) to get the first phase of a low-carbon steel project underway in Middletown, Ohio. The company plans to install a hydrogen-ready flex-fuel Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant and two electric melting furnaces at the facility. The hydrogen DRI process being used in the Middletown plant is a game-changing technology that promises dramatic reductions in the carbon intensity of primary steel and a boost to the competitiveness of US steelmaking. 

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) coordinates, controls, and monitors the sale and use of our electric transmission system across 15 states.2 In July 2022—after the largest and most complex study process to date—MISO approved Tranche 1 of Long-Range Transmission Planning (LRTP). Read our fact sheet to see the thousands of jobs that MISO LRTP-1 can deliver.