Last night, Charleston, South Carolina’s City Council passed a resolution in support of wind energy as an economic driver for our region.  The resolution acknowledged that wind energy manufacturing currently employs nearly 3,000 South Carolinians and that there is a great opportunity for market growth.

We applaud Charleston City Council for taking this symbolic step in advancing job creation, affordable energy, and responsible stewardship of the environment.  South Carolina has the second greatest offshore wind resource on the entire East Coast—enough wind to power millions of homes and create thousands of jobs for South Carolinians.  Leveraging Charleston’s assets such as its world-class port facilities, existing wind-related businesses and research facilities, with its high quality of living means more companies will want to do business here and our region will be strategically positioned as a leader in the global wind market.

“We want to ensure that the offshore wind energy field knows of our support.” – City of Charleston Councilmember William Dudley Gregorie in his remarks introducing the resolution

The City’s acknowledgement of the value of wind energy reinforces the extensive work done to date on offshore wind energy in South Carolina and sets the stage for a successful future in the promising industry.  Moreover, it affirms the values held by residents of the Lowcountry — that a healthy economy and a healthy environment are key to our unique quality of life.

We hope that Charleston’s leadership serves to inspire other governmental bodies in the region to pass similar resolutions and work with the wind industry to help further the emerging clean energy economy.

The Charleston area will be the location of this year’s Southeastern Coastal Wind Conference, taking place September 11 – 12 at the Charleston Area Convention Center.