Two leases for offshore wind farms off the Texas Gulf Coast failed to attract any interest in an auction held by the U.S. Department of Interior on Tuesday. The auction was part of an effort by the Biden Administration to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030.
"ZERO bids for Biden’s harmful offshore wind boondoggle in Texas," Texas State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) wrote in an Aug. 29 social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
In addition to Middleton, several other Texas politicians strongly opposed windfarms in the Gulf Coast waters off of Texas. After the lease auction had been announced in July, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, whose office would be responsible for permitting powerlines coming ashore from the windfarms, wrote on X, "I am committed to doing everything in my power as Land Commissioner to thwart this proposed boondoggle."
The lack of interest frustrated renewable energy advocates. "This surprised offshore wind advocates," noted Texas Tribune energy reporter Emily Foxhall on X. "Then that gave way to finger-pointing at Texas' antagonistic political climate."
"A federal auction to build offshore wind in Texas flopped on Tuesday morning," wrote Robinson Myer, an advocate of decarbonization, on X. "The state’s energy politics seem to have played a big role in scuttling it."
Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian also spoke out. In a letter to Buckingham and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, he wrote, "These wind farms are an environmental risk, a public safety hazard, a burden on our electric grid, and a taxpayer boondoggle that jeopardizes local jobs, industries, and economies along the Gulf of Mexico. I am concerned about the continued growth of taxpayer subsidized energy displacing reliable fossil fuels in our state and nation."
The Department of Interior could offer the leases at auction again in the future. However, Middleton announced his intention to keep any efforts to build offshore windfarms unsuccessful. "I’ll re-file legislation next session to make sure this green new deal waste of taxpayer dollars is prohibited in Texas," he wrote on X.