House Natural Resources Committee

Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee

Power in the Pacific: Unlocking Offshore Wind Energy for the American West

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 17:00:00 GMT

On Thursday, September 8, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. PT, at the Morro Bay Community Center, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a field hearing in Morro Bay, Calif., titled, “Power in the Pacific: Unlocking Offshore Wind Energy for the American West.”

Presiding: The Honorable Alan Lowenthal, Chair

Following dedicated efforts of the Biden administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to promote offshore wind leasing off the Atlantic coast, the administration is now taking significant steps to launch the next generation of wind energy in the Pacific. With BOEM expected to announce the first offshore wind lease sale in the Pacific soon, the hearing will give stakeholders an opportunity to provide input on the lease sale and discuss emerging opportunities and challenges for the growing industry. This first lease sale will set the tone for future offshore wind development in the Pacific, making stakeholder input particularly salient.

Witnesses:

Panel I

  • Doug Boren, Pacific Regional Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Ronald Tickle, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Real Property, U.S. Department of Defense

Panel II

  • Kourtney Vaccaro, Lead Commissioner for Offshore Wind, California Energy Commission
  • Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Supervisor, San Luis Obispo County
  • Violet Sage, Chairwoman, Northern Chumash Tribal Council
  • Debbie Arnold, Supervisor, San Luis Obispo County

Panel III

  • Matthew Arms, Director of Environmental Planning, Port of Long Beach
  • Josh Boswell, Vice President, Policy and Economic Development, REACH Central Coast
  • Jeremiah O’Brien, Vice President, Morro Bay Commercial Fisherman’s Organization
  • Minority Witness TBD
Panel IV
  • Adam Stern, Executive Director, Offshore Wind California
  • Mark Simonin, Business Manager, IBEW Local 639
  • Eddie Ahn, Executive Director, Brightline Defense
  • Minority Witness TBD

Following the hearing, Chair Lowenthal will be joined by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) and others for a tour of the Vistra Energy Corp battery project site, colloquially known as the “Stacks.” During the tour, the members will learn about shore-side energy infrastructure related to the future offshore wind development. The tour is not open to press.

Morro Bay Community Center
1001 Kennedy Way
Morro Bay, CA 93442