WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Angus King (I-ME) requested a hearing to consider S. 2130, the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act. In a letter sent to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY), the Senators explain the RISEE Act would both amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) and create a new dedicated stream of funding from future offshore wind development for coastal protection and resiliency. This will allow for more equitable resource sharing between states, the federal government and conservation programs.
“We request the Committee schedule a hearing to consider this important legislation. This bill would establish revenue sharing from offshore wind production to support coastal infrastructure and resiliency,” wrote the Senators. “[I]n some states, critical areas that support the nation’s offshore energy supply are experiencing unparalleled land-loss, harming communities and the vital infrastructure that supports this energy development… [The RISEE Act] creates a revenue sharing model with states that funds coastal conversation programs important to all coastal and Great Lakes states.”
Since Cassidy and Whitehouse introduced the RISEE Act in June, support has grown to strengthen the gulf revenue sharing program.
Read the full letter here or below.
Dear Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso:
This summer, we introduced S. 2130, the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act. We request the Committee schedule a hearing to consider this important legislation.
This bill would establish revenue sharing from offshore wind production to support coastal infrastructure and resiliency. The offshore wind industry is rapidly growing in the United States. There are already 16 active commercial wind energy leases off the Atlantic coast. The Department of the Interior anticipates lease sales in the New York Bight and off the coast of California over the next year; it will also begin studying offshore wind potential in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, unlike other forms of energy where royalties are shared with adjacent states and conservation programs, current law requires all revenues generated from offshore wind leases and production beyond state waters to be returned to the U.S. Treasury. The RISEE Act fixes this inequity and creates a revenue sharing model with states that funds coastal conversation programs important to all coastal and Great Lakes states.
In addition, in some states, critical areas that support the nation’s offshore energy supply are experiencing unparalleled land-loss, harming communities and the vital infrastructure that supports this energy development. Hurricane Ida and other powerful storms have only increased the challenges confronting coastal communities. In the face of changing coastal landscapes, the RISEE Act addresses these challenges by also making targeted reforms to the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to allow for more equitable resource sharing between Gulf States, federal conservation programs, and the federal government. Responsible revenue sharing allows states hosting energy production to mitigate for the infrastructure demands of energy production and make strategic investments to ensure the resiliency of this infrastructure and protection of communities and vital natural resources.
Thank you for your consideration of our request, and we look forward to the Committee’s forthcoming business through the remainder of the year.
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