The Department of the Interior announced a project proposal for an environmental review of the wind energy off the Maryland and Delaware coasts.
According to a June 6 DOI news release, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the construction and operations plan submitted by US Wind. The project marks the 10th offshore wind energy construction and operations plan review under the Biden administration.
“President Biden has set the bar high for a clean energy future with ambitious offshore wind goals that will lower costs for families, create nearly 80,000 good paying jobs and make substantive progress as we work to confront the climate crisis,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in the release. “The Department of the Interior is continuing to meet the moment as part of this administration’s all-of-government approach to addressing the climate crisis, which includes early and ongoing engagement with nearby communities.”
According to the release, the project is located approximately 10 nautical miles off the coast of Ocean City, Md., and 9 nautical miles off the coast of Sussex County, Del., respectively. If the project receives approval, the development and construction phases could create roughly 2,679 jobs every year for the next seven years.
“If approved, this project will represent another step forward to creating a robust offshore wind industry here in the United States, all while creating good-paying, family-supporting jobs,” BOEM Director Amanda Lefton said, according to the release. “We are committed to using the best available science and traditional knowledge to inform our decisions and protect the ocean environment and marine life. We look forward to receiving input from our government partners, ocean users and other stakeholders, which is critical to a successful environmental review process.”
The release reports the notice of intent opens a 30-day comment period through July 8. During this time, there will be three virtual public meetings, planned for 5 p.m. ET June 21 and 23 and 1 p.m. ET June 27.
The public can find more information and registration details here.
