Page 32: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jan/Feb 2026)

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WASHINGTON WATCH NOIA © Oksana Smyshliaeva / Adobe Stock

PROJECT CERTAINTY,

NOT POLITICS,

SHOULD SHAPE AMERICA’S

OFFSHORE FUTURE

America’s ofshore energy future does not hinge on ideology. It hinges on certainty. From oil and natural gas to ofshore wind, carbon capture, subsea minerals, and emerging ocean technologies, ofshore energy projects are among the most complex and capital-intensive investments in the U.S. economy. Tey require years of planning, billions of dollars in upfront capital, and a stable regulatory environment that allows projects to move from concept to construction to operation. When that certainty breaks down, investment stalls, workers are lef in limbo, and America’s competitive edge erodes.

By Erik Milito, President, National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) hat challenge is quantifable. According to McK- These realities were front and center at the Senate Envi- insey & Company, an estimated $1.1 to $1.5 tril- ronment and Public Works Committee’s January 28 hearing lion in infrastructure investment is currently in the on permitting reform, where lawmakers from both parties federal permitting process. More than 650 projects acknowledged a fundamental problem: the current federal

T are listed on the Federal Permitting Dashboard awaiting ap- permitting system too often fails to deliver timely, dura- proval, and long-duration projects routinely spend four to ble decisions for major energy and infrastructure projects. fve years navigating the system. For offshore energy projects While differences remain over policy and process, there was operating on multi-decade timelines, that uncertainty car- clear bipartisan agreement that predictability and fnality are ries real economic and strategic consequences. essential if the United States expects to build at scale.

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