New York Bight - Wind Energy Areas at Sea

[Montanan]

The U.S. Interior Department recently announced that it was starting the process of designating the initial Wind Energy Areas in the New York Bight, the roughly triangular-shaped piece of shallow coast stretching from southern New Jersey to the end of Long Island. Reference attached map. The area is bisected by the deep water of the Hudson Canyon, and it sees extensive use by recreational boaters, commercial and recreational fishermen, and cargo ships. It's also home to many fish species and marine mammals, including whales.

Offshore wind is regulated by the Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Interior, the heads of all three agencies (Gina Raimondo, Jennifer Granholm, and Deb Haaland) declare that they were committed to a 30 GW by 2030 goal. That includes Interior planning to lease new offshore sites for energy development and review 16 existing construction and operation plans that have been submitted for approval. Collectively, should these plans pass environmental and safety reviews, they will get the US two-thirds of the way toward the 2030 goal. Estimates are that achieving the target will require $12 billion a year in investment and support a large number of new jobs.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021...offshore-wind/