Sponsor
Paul Tonko
Representative · D-NY
Representative · D-NY
The bill aggressively accelerates U.S. offshore wind deployment through targets, financing, revenue-sharing, and planning support—boosting jobs, domestic supply chains, Tribal engagement, and grid buildout—while increasing federal fiscal exposure, raising project costs through labor and domestic-content requirements, and creating environmental, jurisdictional, and review-process risks that could fall unevenly on coastal communities, small businesses, and taxpayers.
Utilities, ratepayers, and coastal communities: the bill sets firm offshore wind capacity targets (at least 30 GW by 2030 and 50 GW by 2035), creating a clear market signal to accelerate large-scale clean power deployment.
Project developers, shipyards, and vessel suppliers: the bill creates substantial federal financing and institutional support (creation of an Offshore Planning/Authority entity, up to $10 billion in low-cost lending, Title 17 loan-eligibility expansion, and ~$100M for shipyard/supply-chain grants) to reduce financing barriers and speed buildout of vessels and offshore transmission.
States, Tribes, local governments, and coastal stakeholders: a guaranteed revenue stream (10% of offshore receipts) and area-specific compensation funds/grants provide sustained money for habitat restoration, research, mitigation, and payments to fishers/communities harmed by offshore development.
Taxpayers and federal budget managers: the bill increases federal outlays and exposes the Treasury to fiscal risk (multiple appropriations and authorizations including ~$100M for supply chain grants, $95M for agency staffing, $10M/ $5M planning grants, and up to $10 billion in federal loan exposure).
Ratepayers, consumers, and smaller developers: prevailing wage rules, mandatory project labor agreements, and high domestic-content thresholds (and possible OPA loan/operation charges or lease fees) can raise project costs, potentially increasing electricity rates and discouraging smaller bidders.
Fisheries, coastal communities, and marine ecosystems: expanding leasing activity (raising numeric limits) and faster buildout increases risks of environmental and fisheries impacts if mitigation and siting protections are insufficient.
Based on analysis of 22 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes grants, loan guarantees, a compensation fund, an Offshore Power Administration, national offshore wind goals, and targeted appropriations to accelerate offshore renewable energy buildout and transmission.
Official title: To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to support the responsible development of offshore renewable energy projects, establish the Offshore Power Administration, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Paul Tonko · Last progress June 4, 2025
Creates federal programs, funding, and regulatory changes to speed deployment of offshore renewable energy (primarily offshore wind) and the vessels and transmission needed to build and operate it. It funds shipyard upgrades and workforce/pay standards, authorizes loan guarantees for vessel supply projects, establishes a Treasury-based compensation fund for harms to ocean users, sets national offshore wind capacity goals, creates a new DOE Offshore Power Administration to plan and finance shared offshore transmission, and provides one-time appropriations to BOEM and NOAA to improve environmental and Tribal review capacity.