Excellence in Clean Energy Leadership: Top Ten Chamber Stories of 2021

MA Speaker Mariano Unveils Plans to Invest Big in the Offshore Wind Industry at Boston Chamber Event

Massachusetts House Speaker, Ron Mariano, unveiled a plan to make major financial investments that will turn the South Coast into “a hub of wind energy for the region” at a recent virtual event with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Speaker Marino added that the House plans to give $10 million to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to prioritize job training programs that prepare workers for offshore wind construction.  Read the full CIA

OH Chambers and ED Oppose State Efforts to Thwart Massive Solar Investment

Ohio now has an opportunity to capture more than $18 billion of investment from utility scale solar developments. If realized, that would land Ohio as the state with the 3rd highest solar investment pipeline.  Additionally, according to a recent survey, a clear majority of Ohio voters support solar development and welcome it in their community.  Read the full CIA

Tampa Bay Chamber VP of Advocacy Writes Op-Ed on Importance of Clean Energy in the Business Community

Clean energy and resilience have become integral measures of a region’s overall competitiveness. That’s a key reason for The Tampa Bay Chamber’s decision to include goals in its policy platform to advance them both and to engage the business community in supporting local action surrounding these priorities that are flexible, predictable, and durable. Read the full CIA

Chamber, Businesses, and City Leaders Prioritize Arizona's Needs for Federal Infrastructure Investment

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, in partnership with Arizona Forward and the City of Tempe Office of Sustainability, led a three part series of workshops in June with Arizona business and community leaders. The workshops provided a forum for candid and detailed discussions with congressional staff about the priorities for Arizona regarding infrastructure needs, especially as they relate to clean energy and sustainability investments.  Read the full CIA

Senator Tillis, NC Chambers, and Industry Leaders Drive Home Leadership Opportunities in EV Innovation

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, North Carolina chambers of commerce, economic development executives, and industry leaders gathered for a dialogue on what’s at stake for the state’s electrification industry. “It is exciting to see the progress we’re making in the area of renewable energy, and to see the opportunities that we have in the United States to be an innovator and a leader particularly when talking about medium to heavy duty electric vehicles,” said Senator Tillis.  Read the full CIA

How to Navigate and Lead in Clean Energy and Climate Discussions

Chambers of commerce and economic development organizations are claiming their seat at the table when it comes to clean energy policy, resilience, and climate discussions. Clean energy and climate are everyday conversations in the business and policy world. With solar and wind energy becoming the cheapest form of new electric generation, and 70 percent of Fortune 100 companies setting clean energy goals, the transition to sustainable energy is undeniable. Read the full CIA

Ohio Chambers Tour North America's Largest Solar Manufacturer and Discuss the Future of Solar in their Communities

In light of $18 billion economic investment on the line in the state with utility scale solar development, Ohio chamber of commerce and economic development leaders are eager to learn how they can support this opportunity in their counties. Many of these chamber leaders and other economic leaders gathered recently at First Solar in Perrysburg, the largest solar module manufacturer in the Western hemisphere to participate in a conversation on how to best navigate conflict with utility-scale solar development.  Read the full CIA

The Clean Energy Economy Bodes Well for AZ Jobs & Economic Growth

Chambers and business leaders discuss the opportunities associated with Arizona investing in a clean energy economy, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and other federal policies that could positively impact the state. Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ) opened the session by providing an overview of the proposed infrastructure bills in Congress and the effects climate change is playing on our economy and quality of life, saying “Arizona, and our entire nation needs to invest in infrastructure.”  Read the full CIA

NC Chamber Leaders Gather to Learn About the Offshore Wind Industry and the Opportunities it Holds

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy hosted its first-ever Chamber of Commerce North Carolina Offshore Wind Summit on Friday October 27 in Wilmington, NC, a hot spot area for offshore wind development. Chamber and economic development leaders heard from experts in the industry and saw firsthand the $109 billion economic potential of offshore wind (OSW) through supply chain opportunities and development off the coast. Read the full CIA

Chamber Led Study Recommends CT Step Up its Offshore Wind Game

“The report highlights the economic opportunities available and our advantages in attracting those opportunities, and challenges that can keep the state from realizing the maximum potential offered by offshore wind power,” says The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut President and CEO, Tony Sheridan.  Read the full CIA

If you would like to learn more about navigating clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Ryan Evans.

‌

What Local Chambers Need to Know about Wind Energy in North Carolina

Ret. Navy Captain Leo Goff, PhD

Wind energy could soon be a $1 billion business for North Carolina, and the U.S. Military is fully behind it—recognizing renewable energy as good economics and critical to national security.

But a $300 million project planned in the northeast, and other future wind development, could be stalled if the Legislature again attempts to block it in 2017. And the potential military considerations driving opposition have been greatly overstated.

That was the upshot of yesterday’s briefing on wind energy for local chambers featuring State Rep. Chris Malone, Retired Navy Captain Leo Goff of the Military Advisory Board, and Katharine Kollins, President of the Southeastern Wind Coalition.

Co-hosted by the Edenton-Chowan Chamber and Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, the briefing made these three points clear:

1.  Wind energy is a big new economic opportunity. “What does wind energy mean to little Chowan County?” asked Win Dale, Executive Director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce, home to the state’s second planned wind farm, Timbermill Wind.

“It means increasing our revenue by $200,000 a year,” he said. In a place that struggles to maintain its tax base and provide jobs, that would make Apex Clean Energy the largest taxpayer in the county.

 North Carolina’s first wind farm, Amazon Wind Farm US East, is already under development in nearby Pasquotank and Perquimans counties, and will deliver more than $250,000 a year in tax revenue to each county. Farmers leasing land to the developer, AVANGRID, will earn $6,000 per turbine.

“Wind energy will easily be a billion dollar industry in next couple of years if North Carolina chooses to promote it.” – Katharine Kollins, Southeastern Wind Coalition

Rep. Chris Malone (R-35-Wake)

2. The NC Legislature has mixed views. “I feel very strongly that clean energy is the way of the future, and we need to do everything we can to make that happen,” Rep. Chris Malone (R) told chamber leaders. A growing number of Republicans, he added, recognize that wind development delivers jobs, economic opportunities, and energy.

But in June, a controversial piece of legislation (HB763, the Military Operations Protection Act) was introduced that could stop wind development and investment in the state on the grounds that it would necessary to protect military flight paths.

3.  The military supports wind development. “The U.S. Military is fully committed to renewable energy,” Retired Captain Leo Goff of the Military Advisory Board (MAB) told chamber leaders. “It’s pure national security and economics.”

Certain renewables, such as wind energy, do create challenges, he said. Towers, which can rise more than 200 feet, can create obstructions, for example; and blade rotation can cause interference with radar systems.

“But in my estimation and that of the MAB,” Goff said, “often times, those concerns are far overstated. Our military pilots are trained to fly higher than 200 feet. They do it all time.”

The U.S. Military also has a procedure for evaluating potential obstacles from wind farms before they are developed, and they have been able to resolve most of them.

“The challenges posed by renewables, wind most prevalently, can be overcome,” Goff said. “Wind and the military can cooperate easily.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown is expected to reintroduce the so-called Military Operations Protection Act in January.