U.S. Rep Rice, local groups urge DOI to act on New York wind energy areas designation

U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), along with lawmakers, environmental and labor leaders, are calling on the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) to designate final Wind Energy Areas in the New York Bight and hold new lease auctions before the end of 2020.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), an agency within DOI, was slated to announce Wind Energy Areas in early 2019, but the final designations have still not been made. The final designations must be made before lease auctions for developers to bid on the right to apply for federal permits to construct wind projects in these areas.

“Offshore wind is a vital part of our renewable energy future in New York and up and down the Eastern Seaboard,” Rice said at a press conference last week. “Making the switch to clean, renewable energy is the only chance we have against climate change, so delaying these projects is not only harmful to the environment and to public health but also a hindrance to our economy, which will reap the rewards of thousands of new jobs from this industry. The Department of Interior must move this process forward and clear the way for new offshore wind projects to get underway.”

Reps. Tom Reed (R-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), and Max Rose (D-NY) also joined Rice in the request sent to the DOI.

Local groups also joined in urging to DOI to act, including the New York Offshore Wind Alliance, New York League of Conservation Voters, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Climate Jobs NY, Long Island Association, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), and National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA).

“New York state has established itself as a leader in clean energy commitments and specifically in supporting the development of the offshore wind industry, which stands to deliver a boost to the New York economy during a time when it’s needed most. Recent research shows that offshore wind in the New York Bight holds a big opportunity not only for coastal New Yorkers but across the regional economy,” Tom Kiernan, CEO at the American Wind Energy Association, said. “Once this abundant domestic energy source is unleashed, it will deliver tens of thousands of new jobs, revitalize communities, and expand manufacturing opportunities that will benefit both the economy and the environment. The time is now to turn this into a reality, and we applaud Representative Rice for urging the Department of Interior designate the final wind energy areas and hold new lease auctions in the New York Bight.”