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Biden Administration Proposes Offshore Wind Lease Sale for Waters Off New York and New Jersey

FILE PHOTO: General view of the Walney Extension offshore wind farm operated by Orsted off the coast of Blackpool, Britain September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo/File Photo

Biden Administration Proposes Offshore Wind Lease Sale for Waters Off New York and New Jersey

Mike Schuler
Total Views: 1325
June 11, 2021

The U.S. Department of the Interior is taking steps to hold an offshore wind lease sale off the coast of New York and New Jersey.

The DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today proposed the Biden Administration’s first competitive offshore wind lease sale for the New York Bight, a shallow water area between Long Island and the New Jersey. The proposed lease areas is advertised to have over 7 gigawatts of offshore wind potential, enough to power more than 2.6 million homes and support the creation of thousands of new jobs.

The proposed sale will offer eight lease areas in the New York Bight that could be auctioned for commercial wind energy development. A Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) in the Federal Register, published today, opens a 60-day public comment period and provides detailed information about potential areas that could be available for leasing, proposed lease provisions and conditions, auction details.

“The New York Bight is a prime example of how regional cooperation, partnerships, and stakeholder feedback can come together to identify areas suitable for offshore wind development,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “Today’s announcement demonstrates that fighting climate change and creating union jobs can go hand in hand.”

To date, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has held 8 competitive lease sales and issued 17 active commercial offshore wind leases on the Atlantic from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

The proposed lease sale comes as the Biden Administration pursues a goal of 30 gigawatts of installed offshore wind power by 2030. Its announcement follows other recent milestones in the administration’s plans for more offshore wind development, such as approving the first large scale project in federal waters, advancing offshore wind areas off the coast of California, and even beginning to explore the Gulf of Mexico for its potential.

“Climate change poses an existential threat — not just to our environment, but to our health, our communities, and our economic well-being. The Biden-Harris administration recognizes the urgency of this moment, and the development of renewable energy resources is an important piece of addressing this reality,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Today’s announcement of new proposed lease stipulations puts a priority on creating and sustaining good-paying union jobs as we build a clean energy economy.”

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