In a letter sent to President Biden today, the Governors of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia expressing support for federal efforts to expand offshore wind development, providing recommendations “to build on the significant momentum,” urging “continued federal leadership to prioritize the development of and provide a predictable long-term plan for the industry,” and pledging to collaborate and consult one another to meet their clean energy goals and “maximize the economic potential” of offshore wind.
Specific recommendations for White House consideration include the following:
- Establishing a timeline for identifying, characterizing, and auctioning new federal lease areas that can support states offshore wind procurement timelines
- Additional federal consultation with states and increased regional leadership on addressing environmental, fishing, and maritime concerns during and after facility construction
- U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) and Dept. of Energy adoption of a long-term planning approach for port development that can help support clean energy needs
- Instructing FERC to direct regional system operators to initiate policies that encourage collaboration across transmission systems and stimulate investment in offshore transmission planning and development; considering modifications to federal regulatory processes that would improve access to critical DOT corridor “rights-of-way” to support the efficient and cost-effective onshore routing of offshore wind cable infrastructure; and directing U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to clearly articulate the process of permitting offshore transmission infrastructure
- Provide leadership on regional natural resource impact assessment and mitigation frameworks for demonstrated negative impacts on marine resources, fisheries, and local cultures, and provide funding and prioritization to support the monitorization of NOAA/NMFS scientific surveys that inform fisheries quotas and regulations, adapting precedent from other industries in the Gulf of Mexico where appropriate
