U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) has introduced new legislation to redirect revenue from offshore energy projects to the priority needs of Tribes and coastal communities, such as fisheries research.
Huffman’s Resilience, Equity, and Sustainability Through Offshore Renewable Energy (RESTORE) Act would establish a new revenue-sharing mechanism for offshore renewable energy development, reinvesting the money tthe government earns from its lease into habitat conservation, climate resilience, and economic development.
“Despite their deep knowledge and stewardship of natural resources, Tribes have faced systemic barriers and injustices in infrastructure development, resulting in chronic underfunding and limited capacity to participate in, let alone benefit from, projects in and around their ancestral territories,” Huffman said in a statement. “Our transition to clean energy is the perfect opportunity to not only address climate change, but to right these historic wrongs and create a more sustainable future for tribal and coastal communities.”
Notably, 5 percent of eligible offshore energy leasing revenue the would be given to NOAA to distribute as grants for “surveys, data collection, and research to address changes to conservation and management of fisheries, federally protected species, and habitats and ecosystems management of such species because of offshore renewable energy projects.”
The bill would also distribute 8 percent of the revenue to the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, and just over 16 percent would be deposited in the Coastal Conservation and Community Resilience Fund. An additional 5 percent would go to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and 15 percent would go into a special account for eligible Tribes.
“It’s time for the federal government to do more than just ‘consult’ impacted tribes as a ministerial exercise when projects are developed; Tribes should be at the table from the beginning and all the way through the process, with an opportunity to meaningfully share in the economic benefits of clean energy,” Huffman said. “This draft legislation is intended to reflect that vision, and I look forward to gathering feedback to improve our ideas in future iterations.”
Huffman isn’t the only lawmaker trying to tweak how the government uses revenue from offshore energy projects. In November, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act, which creates a different revenue sharing model for distributing 37.5 percent of offshore energy revenue. That legislation would also direct some of that revenue toward fisheries science and research.
