Salazar: 'Offshore Wind's Brightest Days Are Still Ahead Of Us'

If the nascent offshore wind industry needed a boost of federal support, it surely received one from U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar, who took the stage Tuesday with an upbeat message. Speaking at the opening session of the American Wind Energy Association's Offshore Windpower Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore, Salazar told attendees, "Offshore wind's brightest days are still ahead of us, and we are going to stand up offshore wind turbines in the U.S." Responding to negative media reports surrounding bankrupt solar company Solyndra, a down economy and a tough financing market, Salazar urged attendees to forge ahead. "I don't back down - and Barack Obama does not back down," he said, adding that claims that renewable energy is just the latest fad are "greatly exaggerated."...more