The Biden administration has announced its intent to auction the right to construct a large-scale offshore electricity-generating wind farm off the Texas coast next month, but both Republican officials and environmental activists are pushing back on the plan.
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) will close a lease on a 200,000-acre region of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Galveston, where the wind farm will be constructed as part of the Biden administration’s goal of adding 30,000 megawatts of electricity generated by wind to the nation’s power grid by 2030. One megawatt can power around 200 homes during peak hours and the Galveston project is estimated to have an 11,500 MW capacity.
The plan includes constructing 18 new offshore wind farms, predominantly on the east coast with the intent of powering 10 million homes with “renewable energy.”
But according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a conservative think tank based in Austin, the push to hurriedly bring offshore wind projects online caused the federal government to avoid performing proper environmental impact studies regarding the wind farms.
TPPF has brought a legal challenge to another offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts on behalf of local fishermen who, along with environmentalists on both the left and right, say the plan will devastate the environment and the fishing industry, putting families who depend on the sea out of employment.
Ted Hadzi-Antich, a senior attorney with TPPF, stated in an article regarding the Massachusetts project lawsuit that the federal government’s approval of the wind farm violated numerous federal laws that “protect the environment, national security, commercial fishing, and the nation’s food supply.”
Texas officials for months have signaled their opposition and plan to fight the Galveston offshore project as well, citing similar concerns.
Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) reacted to the project on social media, saying he plans to refile his Senate Bill (SB) 1303 that would allow the General Land Office to deny a permit for any offshore wind farms.
“Biden’s wind boondoggle puts nearly $900 Billion of ship channels [sic] economic impact at risk and will destroy grid frequency in our grid,” Middleton wrote. “They made a bad plan worse by moving it closer to Galveston Island. That’s why I’m going to re-file the bill to stop it.”
Middleton was joined by another lawmaker, Sen. Drew Springer (R-Muenster), in calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to add the legislation to a special session agenda this year.
“Biden may want to put them in Federal waters but remember the cables have to come through Texas-controlled waters,” Springer pointed out. “I join Mayes Middleton in urging [Land Commissioner] Dr. Dawn Buckingham & the General Land Office to deny permits & access.”
Buckingham was quick to react in agreement with both senators, saying she’s “not a fan” of the project.
“I have serious concerns about this project,” she wrote. “Texans deserve reliable and dispatchable energy. You could say I’m not a ‘fan.’”
According to the White House, the lease auction on the Galveston location will close on August 29.
While Abbott has announced he will call a special session of the Texas Legislature in the fall, expected to focus on education and school choice, other issues will be added for lawmakers to consider as well. So far, Abbott has not indicated whether he intends to add Middleton’s bill to the agenda.
