Washington, D.C. —Today, the Department of the Interior announced that it would hold an offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Maine on October 29th that could generate up to 13 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy equivalent to powering 4.5 million homes. In response to this important step by the Biden-Harris Administration to invest in the nation’s clean energy future, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Maine Conservation Voters (MCV), and the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) released the following statements:

“Today’s announcement is further proof of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to creating clean energy jobs, lowering household energy costs, and deploying reliable clean energy to tackle the climate crisis,” said David Shadburn, LCV Senior Government Affairs Advocate. “Thank you to BOEM and the Biden-Harris administration for engaging in thoughtful stakeholder engagement, adjusting plans based on community input, and never wavering in your commitment to the 21st century clean energy economy.”

***

“We are excited by today’s announcement, because offshore wind will bring clean, affordable, homegrown energy and good jobs to Maine,” said Lucy Hochschartner, Maine Conservation Voters (MCV) Climate and Clean Energy Director. “Fossil fuels have been making our electricity volatile and expensive all while making our communities vulnerable to extreme storms. We need solutions now, and offshore wind is the biggest opportunity we have.”

***

“Today’s announcement of a Final Sale Notice for the Gulf of Maine lease auction is a hard-won victory for Massachusetts and all of New England,” said Kelt Wilska, Offshore Wind Director, Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) and Regional Lead for New England for Offshore Wind. “These lease parcels will be key to providing clean electricity for our shared regional grid and to building out a robust regional supply chain that will create thousands of family sustaining union jobs, all while setting a model of responsible and equitable offshore wind development for the nation.”

###

Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department has approved the nation’s first eight commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects in federal waters. BOEM has held five offshore wind lease sales, including offshore New York, New Jersey, the Central Atlantic, and the Carolinas, and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The Department recently announced a schedule of up to 12 additional lease sales through 2028.