Page 8 - Green Builder Nov-Dec 2021 Issue

GREEN BUILDING NEWS

The latest on sustainability and renewable energy.

National Windmill Plan Takes Shape

The Biden administration says offshore turbines will help make the U.S.

clean-powered by 2050.

The Biden administration is pressing forward with a plan to
develop large-scale wind farms along nearly the entire coastline
of the United States by 2025, the first long-term strategy from
the government to produce electricity from offshore turbines.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says that her office will identify
and eventually lease land ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to the
Northeast, California and Oregon.
Earlier this year, President Biden committed to generating 30
gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, which is enough to
power 10 million American homes. Experts and industry lead-
ers say that the new wind leasing commitment could ultimately
bring the U.S. to Biden’s goal of relying only on clean sources of
power by 2050.
Wind energy boosters hope that the new leasing opportunities
create a robust U.S. offshore wind industry capable of delivering a
lot more power by mid-century. Opponents dislike the aesthetics
of the windmills, as well as potential economic impact on exist- Up in the air. Offshore windmill farms like this one like this one, the Block
ing industries such as oil and coal. The plan will undoubtedly Island farm in Rhode Island, will power millions of homes with clean energy
face legal challenges that drag on for years, as well as changing starting as early as mid-century — if various legal hurdles are overcome.
attitudes of different administrations. CREDIT: BY IONNA22 - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=60655658

Oklahoma Eyes Electricity Transition Fee

Natural gas customers would be billed almost $1,400 to switch to all-electric service.
Oklahoma’s largest natural gas distribu-
tor wants to charge residential custom-
ers up to $1,375 for shutting off their
gas service and switching to all-electric
homes. Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG)
says the fee will help the utility recover
$1.4 billion in costs from a February 2021
winter storm that resulted in higher gas
rates for suppliers.
According to a report by KFOR News,
ONG’s existing customers will pay slightly
higher gas bills over the next 25 years,
totaling $7.80 per customer. Anyone who
wants to switch to all-electric must pay a
$35 to $55 termination fee, multiplied by
the years remaining in ONG’s loss recov- Power grab. A fee proposal by Oklahoma Natural Gas might make moving from natural gas to
ery period. Someone cancelling their gas all-electric energy throws a roadblock in the path of transitioning away from fossil fuels.
service in 2022, for example, would pay CREDIT: GREEN BUILDER MEDIA
$875 to $1,375; a customer who does it 24 new way for pro-gas regulators to prevent if approved by the Oklahoma Corporate
years from now would pay $35 to $55. consumer transitions from fossil fuels Commission, would take effect by June
Opponents say the measure will create a to clean air alternatives. The proposal, 2022, according to the Huffington Post.

6 GREEN BUILDER November/December 2021 www.greenbuildermedia.com