In late November of 2014, as part of President Obama’s comprehensive Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, develop domestic clean energy resources and cut carbon pollution, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, then Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank announced that more than 742,000 acres offshore Massachusetts would be offered for commercial wind energy development in a January 29, 2015, competitive lease sale. On January 29, 2015, the BOEM held the competitive lease auction, which reportedly lasted two rounds, and RES America Developments, Inc. was the winner of Lease Area OCS-A 0500 (approximately 187,523 acres) and Offshore MW LLC was the winner of Lease Area OCS-A 0501 (approximately 166,886 acres). Lease OCS-A 0502 (248,015 acres) and Lease OCS-A 0503 (140,554 acres) did not receive bids. BOEM signed the commercial wind energy leases on March 23, 2015, and the Commercial Lease OCS-A 0500 and Commercial Lease OCS-A 0501 will go into effect on April 1, 2015.
For information about other state activities with respect to offshore renewable energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf, check out BOEM’s website:
~ California & Washington
~ Delaware
~ Florida
~ Georgia
~ Hawaii
~ Maine
~ Maryland
~ Massachusetts
~ New Jersey
~ New York
~ North Carolina
~ Oregon
~ Rhode Island
~ South Carolina
~ Virginia
Additional Resource: Wind Farms – Not Just Green Energy?