June 14, 2023 — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is joining a chorus of voices — including tribes and commercial fishermen — urging the Biden administration to slow down its push for floating wind farms in the Pacific Ocean off the state’s southern coast.
In a letter sent June 9 to Elizabeth Klein, director of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, Kotek asked the agency to pause identifying and leasing offshore wind areas in order to fully evaluate impacts on the environment and economy.
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Reps. Val Hoyle and Suzanne Bonamici, all Democrats.