July 23, 2013
DOI to Auction VA Waters for Wind Energy Development
On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it will auction off nearly 112,800 acres of Virginia’s coastal waters for wind energy development. Scheduled for September 4, the lease sale will be the second of its kind in the U.S., following the auction of approximately 164,750 acres off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts later this month.
Oceana ocean advocate Nancy Sopko called the announcement a “true milestone for offshore wind development in America.”
Sopko went on to say that this announcement is “proof that the Obama administration is committed to building a strong domestic offshore wind industry. However, Oceana believes this announcement is just a small step towards that goal. What is really necessary to advance the offshore wind industry is a long-term extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to stimulate investment and further demonstrate that the United States will stand firm on offshore wind development. Oceana is urging President Obama to bolster this announcement by calling on Congress to provide a long-term extension of the ITC for offshore wind so that we can finally begin to reap all of the environmental and economic benefits of this domestic, clean energy supply.”