Assemblyman issues statement on wind development lease auction
Morro Bay offshore wind project expected to generate more than three gigawatts of electricity once fully developed
– This week, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) released the following statement after the US Department of the Interior announced that it’d set a lease sale date of Dec. 6 to auction off five call areas proposed for offshore wind development near Morro Bay and Humboldt:
“The Central Coast has worked for years to get to this historic point. My bill AB 525 required the Energy Commission to set aggressive procurement targets for offshore wind energy here in California. With that bill, we sent a strong message to the world that California would lead on the development and deployment of offshore wind energy.
“There is no doubt that the Central Coast is the next Clean Energy Capital of the United States. We laid the groundwork to extend Diablo Canyon for five additional years with my bill SB 846, and soon we will have an offshore wind farm to complement the Topaz Valley solar facility and the potential Vistra battery plant. I am proud of everything we’ve accomplished over the past six years to grow this critical industry and create high-paying local jobs for Central Coast residents.”
The Morro Bay offshore wind project is expected to generate more than three gigawatts of electricity once fully developed, which is enough to power more than two million homes.
In 2021, Assemblyman Cunningham jointly authored the groundbreaking AB 525, which required the California Energy Commission to set offshore wind procurement targets for the first time in state history. AB 525 also sent a signal to the federal government and offshore wind developers that the state was serious about installing offshore wind farms.
Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham is a small business owner, former school board member and prosecutor, husband, and father of four. He proudly represents all of San Luis Obispo County and a portion of Santa Barbara County, including Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Cambria, Paso Robles, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Orcutt, Pismo Beach, Templeton, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Maria, and surrounding communities.
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