New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who co-chairs a House caucus focused on promoting and improving offshore wind energy production, declared during a debate this week that he does “not support offshore wind.”
The Republican is struggling to keep his seat representing the 4th District, which President Joe Biden carried by 14 percentage points in 2020.
The race is a rematch with Democrat Laura Gillen, former Hempstead town supervisor. D’Esposito, a veteran of the New York City Police Department, beat her by 4 points during the midterm elections two years ago.
The district, near Kennedy International Airport, was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and remains vulnerable to sea-level rise. That’s a big reason climate and energy issues were part of the debate.
