Pause Comes Amid Competitive Market and Tribal Nation, Stakeholder Concerns

SALEM, Ore. – The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) postponed the lease auction of wind areas in the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Oregon that was originally scheduled for October 15, 2024. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek sent a letter to BOEM this morning, pulling out of the BOEM Oregon Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force. She also asked the department to halt all lease auctions in the region to allow for Oregon’s Offshore Wind (OSW) Energy Roadmap to be developed and finalized, to ensure a potential future lease sale is more competitive, and ideally to provide additional time and collaboration for Tribal consultation on a future lease process.  

HB 4080—signed into law by Governor Kotek earlier this year and supported by the BlueGreen Alliance—required the state to build an OSW roadmap that protects Oregon’s diverse interests, while advancing economic, environmental, and community benefits in a responsible and thoughtful manner for future development. The Pacific Northwest of Utility Conference Committee forecasts a 30% energy demand increase between now and 2033, which requires adding 7,300 megawatts of new energy generation capacity. Offshore wind development is critical to meet the energy demand Oregon needs for its clean economy.

Following the Governor’s request to BOEM, the BlueGreen Alliance issued a statement from Oregon Senior State Policy Manager Ranfis Villatoro:

“Offshore wind continues to be a critical opportunity for Oregon to meet its 100% clean energy goals by 2040, address climate change, and provide economic opportunities for Oregon workers and businesses. However, building large renewable energy infrastructure takes time and Oregon owes it to its communities and coastal ecosystem to do it the right way. We look forward to working with other stakeholders—including Tribes such as the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians—on the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap, while additionally supporting regional conversations on workforce and supply chain opportunities to advance union jobs and support economic development in Oregon.

“We want to do this in a way that supports Oregon’s diverse interests and sovereign nations.”