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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Hannah Read, Federal Clean Energy Associate, hread@environmentamerica.org, (617) 999-7179
Jolie Jaycobs, Go Big on Offshore Wind Associate, jjaycobs@environmentamerica.org, (617) 747-4400 
Taran Volckhausen, Communications Associate, tvolckhausen@publicinterestnetwork.org, (720) 212-9955

Secretary Haaland Outlines Bold Plan for Offshore Wind Leasing

Roadmap would put the U.S. on track to meet Biden’s 2030 offshore wind goal.

WASHINGTON

In an effort to meet the Biden administration's goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a plan Wednesday for new offshore wind leasing. Under the plan, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) could hold as many as seven new lease sales in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts by 2025.

In a report earlier this year, Environment America Research and Policy Center found that, if we electrified buildings, transportation and industry, offshore wind could power 90% of the nation's 2050 electricity use. Each coastal region has significant potential, with the Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific and Great Lakes regions ranked by technical potential respectively. Today, only two projects totalling 42 megawatts (MW) are operational in the United States.

In response, Environment America Research and Policy Center's Federal Clean Energy Associate Hannah Read released the following statement:

"We applaud Secretary Haaland and the Biden administration for their commitment to tapping offshore wind's vastly underutilized potential. By developing offshore wind across the country, we can take bold steps toward repowering our nation with renewable energy. Expanding offshore wind means cleaner air to breathe and would take us closer to ensuring a liveable climate.

"The nation's first utility-scale offshore wind farm was only just approved earlier this year, and we are eager to see more projects follow in its path. The secretary's proposed leasing plan puts us on our way to meeting the Biden administration's goal to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Going forward, it is imperative to streamline the permitting process so that Americans can start reaping the benefits of responsibly developed offshore wind as soon as possible."

With Environment America, you protect the places that all of us love and promote core environmental values, such as clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and clean energy to power our lives. We're a national network of 29 state environmental groups with members and supporters in every state. Together, we focus on timely, targeted action that wins tangible improvements in the quality of our environment and our lives.

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