Adil Trehan, adil.trehan@sierraclub.org, 202-630-7275
New York – Today, the Biden Administration announced an auction for lease areas to develop up to 7GW of new offshore wind in the New York Bight. The announcement marks major progress towards President Biden’s goal of developing 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.
The auction will provide six lease areas covering 480,000 acres off the coasts of New York and New Jersey, the most area ever created in a single auction. The auction will include stipulations that developers enter Project Labor Agreements to ensure projects are union-built, and that developers are more transparent with affected stakeholders, including indigenous groups, the commercial fishing industry, other ocean users, and underserved communities. The auction also provides incentives for developers to source major components locally in order to promote a domestic supply chain for offshore wind.
“The announcement of up to 7GW of new lease areas for new offshore wind development is a victory for New York families, workers, and the climate,” said Allison Considine, Senior Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club. “This marks a major milestone in achieving New York’s goal of 9GW of offshore wind by 2035, and President Biden’s goal of 30GW by 2030. Today’s Final Sale Notice demonstrates that New York’s goal of achieving 100% fossil-fuel-free electricity is not only feasible, it is breaking ground on new opportunities that will revitalize our economy and create a national leadership hub for responsible offshore wind development.”
“Unleashing the potential of offshore wind is critical to addressing the climate crisis, achieving state and national climate goals, and is a massive opportunity for creating family-sustaining jobs in our communities,” said Matthew Bearzotti, Sierra Club Deputy Legislative Director. “The Sierra Club applauds the Biden Administration for today’s announcement. We look forward to the rapid growth of this sector and many more offshore wind projects, which will be enabled by matching strong climate leadership in the White House with historic investments in clean energy deployment and domestic clean energy manufacturing once Congress passes the Build Back Better Act.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.