(HB1616)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1616, which would require the Virginia Department of Energy to identify and develop training resources to advance workforce development in the offshore wind industry in the Commonwealth.

The Virginia Department of Energy already addresses workforce development across various forms of energy. Furthermore, our Administration has partnered with the General Assembly to create the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (Virginia Works) in order to streamline workforce development efforts to ensure they are more efficient and effective. The offshore wind industry has been hit with project contract cost increases and project cancellations running rampant across the east coast and declining interest even for projects in Europe. Virginia must drive workforce development efforts for high growth, in demand professions, which is exactly why Virginia Works was established.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.