Washington, D.C. – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Government Affairs Advocate for Climate Change and Clean Energy David Shadburn on today’s clean energy announcements including the historic offshore wind lease sale off the coast of New York and New Jersey: 

“Today’s announcements build on the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis and creating good clean energy jobs. We are thrilled that the administration finalized plans to hold the largest offshore wind lease sale in U.S. history, all while centering environmental justice, providing good-paying union jobs with a project labor agreement, and looking comprehensively at the supply chain to ensure that the economic benefits of clean energy development are felt across the country. Today’s actions also outline plans for upgrading and expanding critical transmission infrastructure, piloting a clean energy program to underserved rural communities, and more, all key components to meeting President Biden’s commitments to install 25 gigawatts of renewable power by 2025 and 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.

“These announcements also highlight  how the Build Back Better Act is critical to meeting the clean energy deployment and emissions reduction targets that science and justice demand. The bill’s clean energy tax credits and significant investments in transmission will supercharge the clean energy industry, create good-paying jobs, and put us on the path to slashing greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. The Senate must pass the Build Back Better Act without delay.”

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The New York League of Conservation Voters released the following statement from President Julie Tighe:

“From the Build Back Better Act to advancing clean energy projects, President Biden’s administration is clearly prioritizing climate action. Today’s announcement by BOEM of new lease areas for auction in the New York bight will accomplish critical goals in tandem: generate enough clean energy to power more than two million homes, cut our reliance on fossil fuels, and create good-paying union jobs. Offshore wind will continue to play a crucial role as we strive to fight climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and green our grid, and we thank BOEM Administrator Amanda Lefton for her leadership on offshore wind development.”

The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters released the following statement from Executive Director Ed Potosnak:

“In his action today, President Biden is clearly highlighting his continued commitment to taking quick action to address our growing climate crisis. Today’s announcement by the Biden administration to lease areas off the Jersey Shore will accomplish two goals: expand access to clean, renewable offshore wind while creating family-sustaining union jobs to build a 21^st century clean energy economy. We look forward to working with Governor Murphy and his administration on getting projects permitted for approval in these new leasing areas as quickly as possible even as we continue our advocacy for Build Back Better, the president’s signature initiative to fight climate change by investing in policies, like offshore wind, that create jobs while protecting our communities and curbing climate pollution.”

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