Written by: Collin Fields, Marketing & Communications Manager, Offshore Wind Academy
The burgeoning offshore wind industry, poised to be a cornerstone of the United States’ clean energy future, faces a critical juncture. From local advocacy groups to the highest levels of government, opposition to offshore wind projects has intensified, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive education for all stakeholders.
Public Opinion & Offshore Wind
Public opinion plays an important role in the successful development of offshore wind projects. Even if regulatory agencies approve a project, strong public opposition can cause construction to be greatly delayed. The public’s disapproval can make it challenging to get financing, secure permits, and draw in employees. The developer’s reputation can also be impacted by public opinion, raising risk for potential investors.
Public acceptance of offshore wind projects isn’t guaranteed. Some residents worry about economic impacts like electricity rates, property values, or the effect on tourism. Others may be concerned about noise pollution, the visual clutter of turbines on the horizon, or potential harm to marine life. Residents may also feel left out of the decision process for these projects leading to a classic “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) attitude. While many of these concerns are valid and can be addressed appropriately with facts, the public often receives alternative information that can alter their perception of the project’s effect on the local community and environment.
The Opposition
A Brown University study found that opposition to offshore wind is primarily driven by a coordinated network of fossil fuel interest groups using “information subsidies” and “dark money” funneled through conservative think tanks such as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Heartland Institute. These think tanks supply local groups with legal support, resources, and rhetorical arguments that fuel public opposition, often by spreading misinformation. For example, claims about offshore wind harming right whales have been amplified despite scientific consensus that fossil fuels, not wind energy, are driving climate change. While local groups may not receive direct funding from oil companies, the study concludes that they play a key role in an orchestrated campaign advancing fossil fuel industry interests under the appearance of grassroots’ activism.
These groups spread misleading, scientifically unsupported claims about offshore wind. While they appear to be grassroots organizations, many of them are led by fossil-fuel interests and climate-denial think tanks that specialize in obstruction. Sharing legal resources, messaging, and coordinated tactics, these organizations work to convince the public that offshore wind is unsafe, citing unfounded fears about threats to human health, wildlife, tourism, property values, electricity costs, military readiness, navigation, fisheries, and even whale deaths. They also attack renewable energy more broadly by portraying it as unreliable and ineffective in addressing climate change. By flooding media channels with misinformation and stoking fear, they create manufactured controversy that can shift public opinion and lead communities to oppose offshore wind development despite its clear benefits.
-Check out the full Brown University study here – Against the Wind: A Map of the Anti-Offshore Wind Network in the Eastern United States
Common Myths About Offshore Wind & The Facts That Debunk Them
Myth 1: Offshore wind development is killing whales and birds
Fact: According to NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, there is no scientific evidence linking offshore wind site-survey noise or construction activity to whale deaths. Current investigations show no connection between large whale mortalities and offshore wind operations; instead, experts attribute most deaths to vessel strikes, climate-driven shifts in food sources, and entanglement in abandoned fishing gear. Bird impacts from turbines are also minimal compared to leading causes such as free-roaming cats, building collisions, oil and gas activity, and habitat loss from development.
Myth 2: Offshore wind will harm the U.S. fishing industry
Fact: Offshore wind and fishing can coexist. While lease areas may span large ocean spaces, individual turbines occupy only a tiny fraction of that footprint. Some fishing practices may be restricted in certain areas, but turbine foundations can act as artificial reefs that enhance fish habitats. At the Block Island Wind Farm, for example, local anglers have reported increased populations of black sea bass and Atlantic cod congregating around turbine structures.
Myth 3: Offshore wind threatens national security by interfering with military radar and sonar
Fact: The Department of Defense works closely with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) throughout the entire offshore wind development process. From early site identification to project-specific reviews, the DOD evaluates potential conflicts and recommends measures to avoid or minimize impacts, ensuring offshore wind development aligns with military readiness and national security needs.
Myth 4: Wind turbines emit more CO₂ during production than they offset
Fact: Offshore wind turbines pay back their “carbon debt” quickly. The carbon payback period or how long it takes for a turbine to offset the emissions from its manufacturing and installation typically ranges from 5 to 12 months. Over a 25–30-year lifespan, offshore wind turbines generate 20 times more clean energy than the energy used to produce them, resulting in substantial net carbon reductions.
Additional Fact Sheets
- American Clean Power Association – Offshore Wind Myth vs. Facts
- Oceantic Network – Truth Behind the Turbine
- The Center for American Progress (CAP): The Truth About Offshore Wind: Busting Oil Money Myths and Misinformation
Federal Obstacles & The Global Market Shift
While resistance to renewable energy projects is not a novel phenomenon, the industry now confronts a formidable challenge at the federal level. The current administration’s strategic utilization of regulatory levers to delay or halt offshore wind development, despite advocating for energy independence and domestic manufacturing, presents a significant impediment to progress. This disconnect threatens to derail the industry’s potential to deliver tangible benefits, including energy security & independence, job creation, and a boost to local economies.
As developers grapple with the onslaught of the Trump administration, a shift towards the rapidly evolving global market is underway. While the U.S. stalls, developers will likely shift their focus to more established markets. This exodus of attention from the U.S. market necessitates a renewed focus on educating the American public and government officials about the tangible benefits of offshore wind. We must learn from the successes of global leaders like Germany, the UK, and China, who have demonstrated the industry’s potential to drive economic growth and environmental sustainability.
A multifaceted educational campaign is crucial. This initiative should:
- Highlight The Benefits: Emphasizing the economic advantages, environmental gains, and energy security provided by offshore wind.
- Address Misconceptions: Dispel misinformation regarding impacts on marine life, coastal viewsheds, and property values with scientific data and transparent communication.
- Reinforce Safety & Science: Provide clear and accessible information on rigorous safety standards and scientific research underpinning offshore wind development.
We must also utilize information from our existing projects to demonstrate the technological readiness and proven success of offshore wind:
Block Island Pilot Project: The Block Island Wind Farm provides significant benefits, including cleaner and more stable electricity for the island, lower power costs by eliminating reliance on diesel generators, and a positive impact on the local economy through job creation and increased tourism. It also serves as a model for the feasibility of larger offshore wind projects in the U.S., providing reliable power and even exporting surplus electricity to the mainland grid. The pilot project has provided significant local and regional benefits, creating about 300 construction jobs and supporting tourism, which has seen steady or increased visitor activity. The undersea cable has also brought reliable high-speed internet to the island, improving remote work and education. Additionally, the turbine foundations have formed artificial reefs that enhance marine habitats.
South Fork Wind: The South Fork Wind project stands out as a landmark success for U.S. offshore wind, combining strong performance, economic growth, and environmental benefits. As the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, it achieved a high-capacity factor (46.4%) in its first year and 53% in early 2025, matching the reliability of top natural gas plants. The project created over 1,000 jobs through a robust domestic supply chain and more than 100 local union positions on Long Island. Its success stemmed from a strong public-private partnership between Ørsted and Eversource Energy, the use of the efficient FAST-41 permitting process, and a focus on operational optimization that supports grid reliability even during extreme weather. In addition to bolstering grid resilience, South Fork Wind is expected to prevent six million tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime, setting a precedent for future offshore wind development in the U.S.
Download the full report here to learn more about the project’s first year of operation.
We Need Louder Voices
While some advocacy groups, coalition networks, state representatives, and offshore wind developers have stood up to the “war on wind” unfolding in the U.S., the message needs to reach more American people. Vattenfall was smart to deploy Samuel L. Jackson to help set the record straight through an attention-grabbing commercial, but that’s just the start of the messaging campaign needed to change the hearts and minds of the public. We’ll need to pull strategies straight from the playbook of the opposition. But instead of denying facts and fearmongering, we need to double down on what we know to be the truth. We must bridge the gap between public perception and scientific reality and cultivate a skilled workforce ready to contribute to a sustainable energy future. Despite the current period of policy retrenchment, we must ensure that the U.S. does not miss out on the massive economic and environmental benefits of this burgeoning industry.
10 Reasons Why We Need Offshore Wind
1. Rising Energy Demand Requires New Solutions
Electricity demand is climbing rapidly due to population growth, the rise of AI data centers, appliance electrification, and widespread EV adoption. Meanwhile, the U.S. is not adding new large-scale supply fast enough to keep up. Prices are rising; we need more electrons on the grid.
2. Limited Conventional Supply Options
No new coal or nuclear plants are planned, and gas turbines face a 5–7-year supply backlog. In contrast, wind and solar are now the most affordable and readily deployable sources of new distributed energy, making offshore wind an essential part of future capacity growth.
3. Strengthening Energy Independence
Offshore wind diversifies the energy mix and reduces reliance on volatile global oil and gas markets. By expanding clean domestic generation, it also opens opportunities for energy exports, strengthening national energy security. We need to take an “all of the above approach”.
4. Major Economic & Job Benefits
Offshore wind development boosts local and regional economies through steelmaking, shipbuilding, port upgrades, construction, and union labor. European developers bring additional foreign investment. Every gigawatt of offshore wind supports an estimated 4,000–5,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, and long-term operations. These are well paying jobs that the American public relies on.
5. A Key Tool for Decarbonization
Electricity and heat generation account for 34% of global CO₂ emissions, according to the IEA. A single 1-GW offshore wind farm can avoid roughly 2 million tons of CO₂ annually—equivalent to removing 400,000 cars from the road, making it one of the most powerful climate solutions available.
6. Power Where It’s Needed Most
The strongest U.S. offshore wind resources lie just off major East Coast population centers like New York City and Boston. Since these cities lack space for new generation plants, building offshore wind close to demand reduces dependence on long-distance transmission and improves grid reliability.
7. Vast Untapped Domestic Resources
The U.S. has world-class offshore wind potential. DOE estimates more than 2,000 GWof technical offshore wind capacity (nearly twice current national electricity demand) highlighting its ability to provide utility-scale power for decades.
8. Increasingly Cost-Competitive Globally
Offshore wind has become one of the most cost-effective large-scale clean energy technologies. Countries such as China, the UK, and Germany already lead in installation and supply chain capability. To remain competitive in the global energy market, the U.S. must accelerate deployment and innovation.
9. Supports Grid Stability and Reliability
Offshore wind often generates most strongly at night, complementing solar production and helping provide a more balanced electricity mix. When paired with energy storage, it can smooth fluctuations, store excess power, and deliver steady, reliable output, enhancing overall grid resilience.
10. Accelerates Domestic Innovation and Global Competitiveness
Offshore wind drives advances in U.S. engineering, manufacturing, and maritime technology, spurring innovation in floating turbines, grid integration, vessel design, robotics, and environmental monitoring. By building a robust offshore wind industry, the U.S. strengthens its clean-energy leadership, positions itself to export technology and expertise, and ensures it doesn’t fall behind countries that are rapidly scaling their offshore wind capabilities.