House GOP Plan Would Levy Per‑Turbine Inspection Fees on Offshore Wind
By funding a new Marine Minerals Administration through per‑turbine inspection charges, the plan could saddle large offshore wind farms with millions in extra costs.
Overview
- A House Appropriations subcommittee last week advanced the FY2027 Interior‑Environment bill that inserts a detailed fee schedule for offshore wind inspections.
- The draft sets specific charges of $7,300 for an onshore control‑center visit, $15,400 for a visual turbine inspection, and $72,800 for a physical turbine or substation inspection.
- Because the language contemplates per‑turbine billing, analysts say fees could scale into the millions for big projects such as Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind with 176 turbines.
- The fees are drawn from the administration’s budget justification to fund the planned Marine Minerals Administration but the bill does not explain when or how visual versus physical inspections would be triggered.
- Critics and former officials call the amounts disproportionate compared with oil and gas oversight, industry groups and major developers declined to comment, and OMB did not explain implementation or cost mechanics.