The Interior Department today announced its decision to propose an offshore wind lease sale covering two areas in the Central Atlantic that span ~278,000 acres of federal waters off Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. According to DOI, the areas have the potential to provide electricity to over 2.2 million homes.
Interior Sec. Deb Haaland called the announcement “another step forward in the Biden-Harris administration’s pursuit of a clean energy future,” adding that “[w]e are taking action to jumpstart America’s offshore wind industry and using American innovation to deliver reliable, affordable power to homes and businesses, while also addressing the climate crisis.”
As part of the proposal being released for public comment, feedback is sought on lease stipulations that among other things would provide bidding credits to bidders who commit to supporting workforce training programs, developing a domestic offshore wind industry supply chain, establishing and contributing to a fisheries compensatory mitigation fund, and/or contributing to an existing fund to mitigate potential impacts from offshore wind on commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries.
The announcement follows DOI’s recent decision to approve an offshore wind project in federal waters south of Long Island, NY, which DOI estimates could power over 700,000 homes.
