By Maxwell Powers
Governor Tina Kotek has long expressed support for wind power. In 2024, the Biden administration approved 195,000 acres off the southern Oregon coast for wind farm construction (Wind Energy Areas) as part of its push to grow offshore wind power capacity, which gave her the means to enact this vision. However, widespread opposition from residents, including fishermen, tribal nations, and local politicians, expressed concern over the harm it would bring to the ecosystem and local industry.
When these wind farms started to look like a possibility, Kotek asked Biden to halt the project for further research into the potential effects of offshore wind farms on the local community. By requesting the delay, she could torpedo the plan without appearing to backpedal on her previous platform.
However, Kotek was recently tossed a lifeline from an unexpected source. The Trump administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, has rescinded all wind power plans for the southern Oregon coast, to the relief of communities in those areas. This new Kotek and Trump alliance has handed the governor the pause on offshore wind she likely wanted. Don’t hold your breath, however, waiting for the Governor to send Trump a thank-you note. You can do that for her by emailing BOEMPublicAffairs@boem.gov.
Maxwell Powers is a Research Associate at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.
