U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-23, has reintroduced the Lakes Before Turbines Act, which would prohibit developers from utilizing tax credits for construction of wind farms on any of the Great Lakes.

Due to the high cost to construct wind farms, developers have heavily relied on the federal investment tax credit for offshore wind energy facilities to complete these projects. This legislation would effectively deter wind energy interests from jeopardizing the lakes’ environmental health and the economic benefits they provide to our local communities.

In recent years, the Great Lakes have been in the crosshairs of wind energy interests, looking to permanently alter the lakes and jeopardize their environmental health with invasive new turbines. Communities across the region have strongly opposed these efforts, knowing that such wind energy facilities would provide minimal benefit, while threatening local economies, the environment, and the supply of clean water.

“The Great Lakes are sources of recreation and tourism for communities along their shores, from Western New York to Minnesota. The success of these local economies is deeply connected to the health of the Lakes,” Langworthy said. “Wind turbines do not belong on the shorelines of our Great Lakes. Not only are they expensive and unreliable, they would harm the Lake’s precious ecosystem while having a negligible impact on our energy supply.”