CT Post Opinion: New England businesses counting on Revolution Wind
Submitted by CBIA
Large-scale, regional infrastructure projects such as Revolution Wind are engines of economic growth. They drive investment, create jobs, and anchor entire regional industries. And when those infrastructure projects are built to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in energy-constrained New England, they become an essential public good.
That’s why the federal government’s recent stop-work order on Revolution Wind is so baffling — and so troubling. Rather than embracing the opportunity to oversee the successful completion of one of the larger generators of reliable and affordable power in our region’s history, this order is stopping a project at the one-yard line, squandering a transformational economic opportunity, and threatening both energy affordability and the security of our energy grid for businesses and families across our region.
In New England, we know the stakes when it comes to energy. Every winter, our businesses brace for high prices and the strain on an overstretched power grid — a reality that is only worsening as energy demand continues to outpace supply. For years, state and federal leaders have recognized the urgency of modernizing our energy infrastructure and adding new sources of homegrown energy. Revolution Wind is a critical piece of that solution.
Revolution Wind is slated to provide 704 megawatts of energy to our grid starting next year — enough to power more than 350,000 New England homes, at prices cheaper than what we’re paying now, never mind a decade into the future. The regional grid operator (ISO NE) has warned that “delaying Revolution Wind will increase risks to reliability”. Our businesses cannot run without dependable electricity, and our workers and customers should not be left in the dark — literally — by a baseless decision to pull the plug at the 11th hour.
Unfortunately, the damage doesn’t stop at the grid. Hundreds of New England companies across construction, manufacturing, logistics, and more are already part of the Revolution Wind supply chain. The project has driven more than a billion dollars in private investments in areas such as port infrastructure, workforce development, and technology — investments that were made in good faith on a project that has been a decade in-the-making and is now 80% complete.
Halting this project now puts thousands of jobs at risk and disrupts years of economic development around which businesses of all sizes have planned their futures. And when the federal government moves the goalposts, it undermines the credibility of the United States as a stable destination for investment. It forces businesses in every industry to think twice before investing in U.S. projects and communities.
The path forward is clear. Get Revolution Wind back on track. Let the thousands of workers get back to work. Let the affordable power flow to the region’s grid next year as planned. And let businesses operate with the confidence that comes from knowing their investments are secure.
Allowing Revolution Wind to proceed is the right choice for our economy, our businesses, and our region’s energy future.
Signed By:
Connecticut:
CBIA: Chris DiPentima, president and CEO
Middlesex Chamber of Commerce: Johanna Bond, president and CEO
Chamber of Commerce Eastern Connecticut: Tony Sheridan, president and CEO
Mystic Chamber: Bruce Flax, president
Massachusetts:
The New England Council: Jim Brett, president and CEO
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce: James E. Rooney, president and CEO
Massachusetts Business Roundtable, JD Chesloff, president and CEO
One SouthCoast Chamber: Mike O’Sullivan, CEO
Rhode Island:
North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce
This opinion piece was also published by The Hour.