Virginia Governor Enacts Offshore Wind Workforce Bill Into Law

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed House Bill 67 (HB67), which introduces a measure focused on assessing workforce and training needs for the offshore wind sector and aligning workforce development efforts with its specific demands.

The bill, which passed both the Virginia House of Delegates and the State Senate in March, requires the Virginia Department of Energy to evaluate and identify training and educational resources needed to support the offshore wind industry.

Under HB67, the Department is tasked with working alongside relevant stakeholders to assess current capabilities and determine gaps in training infrastructure. The initiative is intended to ensure that Virginia is prepared to meet the labour needs associated with offshore wind development.

The Governor signed the bill on 29 April, along with House Bill 772, which aims to provide greater flexibility for the use of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds.

“Because of the legislation I’m signing today, local workforce boards will have more flexibility to direct resources where they’re needed most, and Virginia can do more to build a skilled workforce to support our nation-leading offshore wind industry. I want to thank the patrons of these bills — their leadership made today possible”, said Governor Abigail Spanberger.

“I am thankful for everyone who came together to ensure hardworking Virginians benefit from the job opportunities offered by this important offshore wind project”, said Delegate Michael Feggans, who patroned the offshore wind workforce bill. “This is a strong signal not just to the Commonwealth, but to the nation — that Virginia is serious about our renewable energy portfolio.”

Virginia currently has one offshore wind project in operation, the 12 MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot, and is on its way to having the biggest offshore wind farm in the country operating off its coast as the 2.6 GW commercial CVOW project, being built by Dominion Energy off Virginia Beach, recently produced its first power, and is expected to be completed in 2026.

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