In This Issue:
Offshore Wind Is Here
Not too long ago, before the Biden-Harris administration, many of us asked ourselves whether offshore wind would ever become a reality in the United States. Today, we have two projects under construction having reached major milestones, with large scale components arriving at the port of New Bedford for Vineyard Wind 1, a project under contract in Massachusetts, and “steel in the water” at the South Fork wind project, which is under contract in New York. There are another ten projects under review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) and three lease sales under their belts with several more planned. States up and down the east coast, now on the west coast and even in the Gulf of Mexico are advancing offshore wind, including incredibly aggressive goals backed by real commitments. Billions of dollars of investments have already been made across the United States to build a domestic based supply chain. The question isn’t “will it ever happen,” it is happening right before our eyes. Thanks to the actions by this administration and the steady support and leadership from states, the clean energy transition is here to stay. That said, with inflation and other factors impacting infrastructure projects across every sector, we are confronted with new challenges. The question now is what the pace and scale of offshore wind development will be.
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