House Republicans Reject Golden Amendment to Prohibit Offshore Wind Development in Maine Fishing Grounds

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released the following statement after House Republicans rejected his amendment to H.R. 4821, the Department of Interior Appropriations Act of 2024, to prohibit commercial offshore wind (OSW) development in Lobster Management Area 1 (LMA 1) in the Gulf of Maine:

“Offshore wind development in the Gulf’s most productive fishing grounds is a threat to Maine fishermen’s way of life,” said Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02). “House GOP members say they are opposed to offshore wind, but given this opportunity to close these fishing grounds to OSW, they failed to deliver. It calls into question their commitment to protecting America’s fishermen. This isn’t the first time they’ve proven unreliable, but I will keep trying to pass this protection against federal approval of OSW in LMA 1.”

“Maine appreciates the effort Representative Golden has put forward to protect the fishermen in regards to offshore wind development. It is so unfortunate that bipartisanship is not a priority in DC and the people suffer because of it. Maine has strong representation from our delegation – let's get everyone on board and keep pushing!” said Virginia Olsen, commercial lobsterman and Director of the Maine Lobstering Union. 

“The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association supports Representative Golden’s amendment to HR 4821 that would prohibit funds from being used to lease, license, permit, or provide any other authorization for the development of commercial offshore wind energy in LMA1.  NEFSA encourages politicians on both sides of the aisle to support the generations of blue collar fishermen along the New England coast, seeking to preserve their livelihoods by supporting the congressman’s amendment.” said Dustin Delano, Chief Operating Officer of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association. 

LMA 1 is a critical and highly productive fishing ground for a variety of sea life, including lobster. In a recent report, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Development (BOEM) identified more than 9.8 million acres in the Gulf of Maine, including LMA 1 and areas closed seasonally or permanently to protect the North Atlantic right whale, as potential commercial offshore wind sites. Prohibiting offshore wind development in LMA 1 would help to avoid conflict with the New England commercial and recreational fishing industries.

Golden introduced a standalone bill earlier this year that would block this exact development in LMA 1. His legislation came on the heels of a Maine delegation letter urging BOEM to “minimize all potential conflicts” between offshore wind and Maine’s fishing industries, including by avoiding wind development in key fishing areas like LMA 1.

The text of Golden’s amendment can be found here.

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