The Biden administration on Tuesday said it has approved the nation s first major offshore wind farm, billing it as the launch of a new domestic energy industry that will help eliminate emissions from the power sector.
The move, however, was quickly condemned by fishing industry interests who said their concerns about the project s impact on things like fish stocks and vessel traffic had been met with silence by government officials.
The Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts is intended to create enough electricity to power 400,000 homes in New England, the administration said in a statement.
The Biden Administration has approved the first major wind farm project, off the coast of Massachusetts. There are two small existing projects off the East Coast, including the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Block Island, RI (pictured)
Biden administration approves Vineyard Wind project, first major offshore wind farm in U.S. Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal
Believe it or not, Texas is the nation s largest producer of wind energy
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The Biden administration has given the green light to Vineyard Wind I, a project of 62 turbines to be built in waters off Rhode Island and Massachusetts that would be the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in America.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was on the call with reporters Tuesday to announce final approval of the long-awaited $2.8-billion project that would be built between Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard, produce enough power for about 400,000 homes and go into operation in 2023. As Rhode Island governor, Raimondo oversaw construction of a five-turbine demonstration project off Block Island that in 2016 became the first offshore wind farm in the nation.
Michael Dwyer/AP
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A lift boat and wind turbines off Block Island, R.I., in 2016. Approval of the country s first large-scale wind farm off Martha s Vineyard signals a major shift in the clean energy landscape. Michael Dwyer/AP
The U.S. Interior Department approved the country s first large-scale offshore wind project Tuesday, a final hurdle that reverses course from the Trump administration and sets the stage for a major shift in the energy landscape.
This is a significant milestone in our efforts to build a clean and more equitable energy future while addressing the climate emergency, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said during a press briefing. She said an expansion of wind energy is critical to President Biden s ambitious climate goals to make the electricity sector carbon-neutral.