The US House of Representatives has passed the “Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act”, enforcing Jones Act requirements for all offshore renewable energy production in an effort to strengthen domestic maritime industry.
The Jones Act is a 100-year-old federal law requiring goods shipped between US ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned, and operated by US citizens or permanent residents. It is also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920.
The amendment clarifies that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, a 1953 law governing offshore mineral and energy development, applies to lease sales for non-fossil fuel energy sources such as wind power, hydrokinetic, or ocean thermal energy conversion.
My commonsense amendment simply clarifies that all existing requirements that govern offshore oil and natural gas extraction also apply to renewables. This will enable our domestic maritime industry to support the renewable energy industry and provide a critical economic stimulus for our nation,
…said Congressman John Garamendi, who proposed the amendment.
This comes as offshore wind development is expected to play a critical role in the US transition to a clean energy economy. As demand for offshore wind development in federal waters is strong, the Congress must act to ensure the strongest possible labor and environmental protections, he explained.