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Cunningham introduces bill to jumpstart offshore wind projects 

Cunningham introduces bill to jumpstart offshore wind projects–This week, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced that he has introduced a bill that would jumpstart offshore wind projects on the Central Coast. Specifically, AB 525 would formalize the state’s commitment to using offshore wind power to meet clean energy goals and require state agencies and commissions to develop plans to build 10 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2040.

“The Central Coast is uniquely situated to become the west coast hub for this new and burgeoning industry. With transmission lines going into Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon, and local call areas already being studied by the Department of the Interior and the Navy, San Luis Obispo County should see major economic expansion as a result of the growing offshore wind industry,” said Cunningham. “Clean power, high-paying trades jobs and local economic expansion: offshore wind is a winner for the Central Coast.”

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has identified two main areas off the coast of California for potential offshore wind development: an area off the Central Coast and an area off the North Coast in Humboldt County. However, the call area off the North Coast would not have easy access to statewide transmission lines, making the Central Coast call areas the most desirable due to the ability to efficiently deliver electricity across the state.

Under current law, the state must procure 60-percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 with a goal of procuring 100-percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2045. The state currently procures 55-percent of its energy from non-carbon emitting sources. However, the state has no viable plan to reach its 60-percent mandate after Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant goes offline in 2025. The development of offshore wind power will help the state meet its renewable energy goals, according to Cunningham.

Cunningham 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.

See related story: World’s largest utility-scale battery storage facility proposed for Morro Bay

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