Statement: In important development for offshore wind, East Coast’s Empire Wind project gets federal review

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s environmental review shows government’s increasing willingness to move forward on key renewable energy

Environment America Research & Policy Center

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced Thursday that it will begin an environmental review of a potential offshore wind project off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. The proposed project, Empire Wind, would generate over 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity and would create enough energy to power 1 million homes. This offshore wind project is a part of the Biden administration’s commitment to developing 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030. 

The public comment period for the proposed project will be open through July 19, 2021. 

In response, Bronte Payne, Environment America Research & Policy Center campaign director, released the following statement: 

“Offshore wind in the United States has tremendous potential to provide clean electricity. In fact, New York and New Jersey each have the offshore wind potential to produce more than 200 percent of the electricity they’ve used, according to an analysis of recent years. 

Following Vineyard Wind, this announcement from BOEM shows that offshore wind has real momentum. We look forward to seeing more of these developments go through review. With each one, we move closer to powering our communities with 100 percent renewable energy.”