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And with a partisan divide on Capitol Hill looming over what to include in an infrastructure package, permitting reforms were cast as a policy area that could bring Republicans on board while also helping Democrats overcome likely hurdles to a clean energy buildout.
Republican Representatives Garret Graves of Louisiana and Rodney Davis of Illinois highlighted proposals to set two-year limits on environmental reviews, force coordination among agencies, and in some cases defer to state reviews, and said a key step will be adding permitting reform in any infrastructure plan moving in Congress.
The Vineyard Wind project, it said, was expected to generate 3,600 jobs and provide enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses.
The DOI added that a Record of Decision had granted Vineyard Wind final federal approval to install 84 or fewer turbines off Massachusetts as part of an 800-megawatt offshore wind energy facility.
According to the Vineyard Wind team, the facility will use GE Renewable Energy s huge Haliade-X turbines, which will mean only 62 will actually be required.
Vineyard Wind is a 50-50 joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables. The latter is a subsidiary of Avangrid, which is part of the Iberdrola Group, a major utility headquartered in Spain.