Congresswoman Chellie Pingree says proposal would “level the playing field” for clean energy

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is demanding that oil companies pay royalties for the oil they spill and said today that money should go toward making it easier to build ocean based clean energy projects.
 
“We should hold BP accountable for the damage they’ve done,” Pingree said.  “But we should also make sure they pay royalties on spilled oil and invest that money in clean, renewable energy so a disaster like this is less likely in the future.”
 
Pingree is proposing that royalties from spilled oil be put in a special fund that would pay the environmental fees for ocean based renewable energy projects, like offshore wind and tidal power.
 
“This is really about leveling the playing field and making it as easy to develop an offshore wind farm as it is to develop an offshore oil well,” Pingree said. “Environmental fees can sometimes be a major stumbling block for clean energy developers, but by creating a special fund to help pay those fees, at least some good can come out of a disaster like the BP spill.”
 
Pingree said it makes sense to direct royalties toward clean energy projects that will make long-term contributions to the economy.
 
“Building an offshore wind industry is a smart response to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico,” she said.  “It will reduce our dependence on oil, create new clean energy jobs and make a massive environmental disaster like this one less likely.”