December 6, 2024 — U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced the Create Offshore Leadership and Livelihood Alignment By Operating Responsibly and Together for the Environment (COLLABORATE) Act, a comprehensive bill to improve the offshore wind development process and bring new sources of affordable clean energy onto the grid.
The COLLABORATE Act would put domestic offshore wind development on track by improving permitting, coordination, and cooperation between agencies and with developers and stakeholders, creating a holistic process for offshore wind transmission, and boosting support for fisheries and other potentially affected groups, including the establishment of a compensation fund for eligible recipients.
“Rhode Island has led an early charge in America’s offshore wind development. My legislation applies the Ocean State model of good-faith cooperation to the federal interagency process, while fixing permitting and transmission problems to harness our abundant offshore wind potential,” said Whitehouse. “The pathway to a clean energy future is narrowing fast, and we can’t afford to lose investments to bureaucratic delays and endless red tape. I’m hopeful we can pass this bill swiftly and bring offshore wind online nationwide.”