Page 29: of Marine News Magazine (October 2022)

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auction on two areas- offshore Humboldt and Morro Bay, respectively. BOEM is also taking early steps in the deep waters of the Gulf of Maine, where it has issued a “Request for Interest” (RFI), the ? rst step towards eventual leasing.

Clearly the winds are blowing in the right direction for what will become a vibrant U.S. maritime sector. The law ? rm Vinson & Elkins, in a commentary on the In? ation

Reduction Act (signed into law in mid-August 2022), not- ed, “Several provisions related to offshore wind and related transmission infrastructure stand out, and the incentives they provide may succeed in spurring necessary infrastruc- ture development.” The legislation includes provisions to provide tax incentives to developers of offshore wind fa- cilities (with vessels serving such facilities considered to be “offshore wind components”). Other sections of the bill include funding for cables linking offshore turbines to the landside electrical grid.