In another step by the Biden-Harris administration to expand the U.S. clean energy economy, the Interior Department announced the first-ever offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The announcement is part of the administration’s latest move to expand offshore wind opportunities to more parts of the country and create good-paying jobs for American workers.
Objective of the Biden-Harris administration
Secretary Deb Haaland said the proposed sale is part of the leasing pathway announced in 2021 to meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. Since the beginning of the administration, the Department has conducted three offshore wind lease auctions and initiated an environmental review of 10 offshore wind projects.
Proposed sales area
The proposed notice of sale includes a 102,480-acre area off Lake Charles, Louisiana, and two areas off Galveston, Texas, one comprising 102,480 acres and the other comprising 96,786 acres. BOEM is seeking public comment on which, if any, of the two leasing areas off Galveston should be proposed in the final notice of sale. These areas have the potential to power nearly 1.3 million homes with clean energy.
Environmental commitment
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is committed to ensuring that all offshore wind activities are conducted in a manner that avoids or minimizes potential impacts to the ocean and ocean users. The proposed notice of sale also seeks comment on several lease stipulations that would reaffirm its commitment to well-paying jobs and dialogue with ocean users and other stakeholders.
Potential lease stipulations
BOEM seeks comment on several potential lease stipulations, including offering credits to bidders who commit to support workforce training programs for the offshore wind industry, establishing and contributing to a fisheries compensatory mitigation fund or contributing to an existing fund to mitigate potential adverse impacts to commercial recreational and for-hire fisheries caused by offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico, and requiring lessees to provide a regular progress report summarizing engagement with tribes and ocean users potentially impacted by proposed offshore wind activities.
