Governors of Nine East Coast States Send Offshore Wind Letter to Biden Administration | Mayer Brown – Tax Equity Times

In a letter dated June 4, 2021, the governors of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia commended the Biden administration for its recently announced commitment to expanding wind power off the US -Coast .1

The governors also noted that the expansion of the offshore wind industry presents an unprecedented opportunity for the United States to capture significant economic development activity and build justice in coastal communities while improving air quality and expanding options for energy diversity, and stressed the importance the state government partnership in realizing this opportunity.

However, governors noted that the realization of this opportunity will depend on several variables, including the pace and consistency of the state permitting process, the level of regional coordination between states, the amount of space available in the federal leases, the potential impact on marine resources and the availability of supporting infrastructure to deliver high voltage electricity from the project areas to the mainland. The governors further stated that they intend to work together by deliberating on licensing challenges, natural resource considerations, identifying ways to coordinate schedules, and aligning construction schedules with their states’ respective clean energy goals.

The letter then offered several “strategic” suggestions, including:

• Establish long-term goals for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease that align with government clean energy goals;
• Supplement to intergovernmental coordination during project planning and approval procedures;
• Consider setting long-term goals for offshore wind ports that can support the scope and timing of government procurement goals;
• Ensuring adequate transmission capacity; and
• Provide support to other marine industries and users.

1 Described in more detail in our perspective of March 30, 2021 “Biden administration boosts offshore wind energy projects to create jobs”.

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