logo
Article

U.S. to lease federal waters for commercial offshore wind energy

The New York Times|John M. Broder|June 5, 2013
USAOffshore Wind

The federal government will hold the first lease sale for commercial offshore wind energy projects at the end of July, the Interior Department announced on Tuesday. ...In 2010, federal officials approved the fiercely contested offshore wind farm known as Cape Wind after nine years of battles with Massachusetts residents.


WASHINGTON - The federal government will hold the first lease sale for commercial offshore wind energy projects at the end of July, the Interior Department announced on Tuesday.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell wants to "strengthen our nation's competitiveness."

The sale will offer 164,750 acres of federal waters off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. If that is fully developed, officials said, it could produce as much as 3,400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than one million homes.

The lease sale shows the Obama administration's determination to pursue a wide range of domestic energy production, from fossil fuels and renewable sources. Sally Jewell, the new secretary of the interior, said the …

... more [truncated due to possible copyright]

WASHINGTON - The federal government will hold the first lease sale for commercial offshore wind energy projects at the end of July, the Interior Department announced on Tuesday.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell wants to "strengthen our nation's competitiveness."

The sale will offer 164,750 acres of federal waters off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. If that is fully developed, officials said, it could produce as much as 3,400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than one million homes.

The lease sale shows the Obama administration's determination to pursue a wide range of domestic energy production, from fossil fuels and renewable sources. Sally Jewell, the new secretary of the interior, said the department would accelerate offshore wind leasing if the July 31 lease sale was successful.

"Today we are moving closer to tapping into the enormous potential offered by offshore wind to create jobs, increase our sustainability and strengthen our nation's competitiveness in this new energy frontier," Ms. Jewell said in a statement. "As we experience record domestic oil and gas development, we are also working to ensure that America leads the world in developing the energy of the future."

Ms. Jewell's predecessor, Ken Salazar, started the push toward Atlantic Coast wind energy in 2010, identifying a number of sites with significant potential. Federal, state and private officials have also begun planning a major undersea transmission line known as the Atlantic Wind Connection to carry power from offshore turbines to onshore distribution centers.

The first federal lease sale will be limited to nine bidders who have met the technical, legal and financial qualifications to build offshore turbine farms. The Interior Department will also consider whether the wind developers have negotiated agreements with utilities to buy wind-generated power.

The department conducted an environmental assessment of the impacts of major offshore wind installations and said it found no significant impact. But some opponents have claimed that the turbines, which can reach as high as 440 feet above the ocean surface, are unsightly, dangerous to birds and a hazard to navigation.

Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, said offshore wind projects would benefit the economy while producing low-carbon energy.

"Offshore wind is a win for American jobs, for American energy security and for our environment," Mr. Markey said, "and it will start off the coast of New England."

In 2010, federal officials approved the fiercely contested offshore wind farm known as Cape Wind after nine years of battles with Massachusetts residents, including members of the Kennedy family, who objected to the giant turbines off the coast of Nantucket.

The Cape Wind project, on which construction is scheduled to begin this year, will cover 24 square miles and lie about 5.2 miles from the nearest shore, on the mainland, and about 13.8 miles from Nantucket Island.

About a dozen other privately financed offshore wind projects are in various stages of development.


Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/0…

Share this post
Follow Us
RSS:XMLAtomJSON
Donate
Donate
Stay Updated

We respect your privacy and never share your contact information. | LEGAL NOTICES

Contact Us

WindAction.org
Lisa Linowes, Executive Director
phone: 603.838.6588

Email contact

General Copyright Statement: Most of the sourced material posted to WindAction.org is posted according to the Fair Use doctrine of copyright law for non-commercial news reporting, education and discussion purposes. Some articles we only show excerpts, and provide links to the original published material. Any article will be removed by request from copyright owner, please send takedown requests to: info@windaction.org

© 2024 INDUSTRIAL WIND ACTION GROUP CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WEBSITE GENEROUSLY DONATED BY PARKERHILL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION