New York Spurs Nation Towards Record Month for Offshore Wind

We must continue to urge local leaders and state officials to develop more offshore wind energy so the state can meet its clean energy goals. Sign our petition to support offshore wind!  

Last month was already a strong one for offshore wind energy with the approval of Sunrise Wind, a 924 MW project off the coast of Long Island, and the completion of South Fork Wind, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the United States, earlier in March. 

However, the Biden-Harris administration, intent on turning an impressive month for this burgeoning renewable energy sector into an historic one, further capitalized on the momentum with their announcement of the final approval of New England Wind, a 2,600 megawatt (MW) offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.

The administration also proposed auctions for four new lease areas in the Gulf of Mexico and finalized guidance for an Inflation Reduction Act bonus tax credit to better include energy communities and make it easier to build offshore wind projects in these communities, helping bring economic benefits to areas historically impacted by fossil fuel boom-bust cycles and pollution. 

In New York, local labor unions signed a landmark project labor agreement for the construction of the state’s first offshore wind port. 

All the while, state-level agencies and offices also continue to make important strides to push offshore wind forward. The country’s first tri-state solicitation from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut received proposals to develop a combined 6,000 megawatts of offshore wind when it closed at the end of March. This progress marks the phenomenal success of investments made through the Inflation Reduction Act and federal agencies focused on clean energy during President Biden’s first term.

“These announcements mark a great moment for the future of clean energy in New York and the United States,” said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “Following the completion of South Fork Wind earlier this month – a first-in-the-nation achievement – we were thrilled that Sunrise Wind was approved to become America’s next commercial-scale offshore wind development. And with Equinor establishing a historic Project Labor Agreement for the construction of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, we are witnessing the fulfillment of the twin promises of our clean energy transition: reducing our reliance on fossil fuels while providing family-sustaining union jobs and ensuring a robust clean energy labor market in the years ahead. Furthermore, as New York’s offshore wind industry takes flight, we are committed to helping ensure that our clean energy economy works for everyone, which is why we enthusiastically support the Biden Administration’s expansion of the IRA’s community tax provisions to include communities on the front line of offshore wind energy production.”