New hope for offshore wind in Massachusetts

Environment Massachusetts

Boston, MA —Today the U.S. Department of the Interior auctioned an area of the ocean about the size of Rhode Island for offshore wind development, the largest such competitive lease sale ever in the United States. The area off the South Coast of Massachusetts could house enough wind turbines to power 1.4 million homes, and its sale triples the total area available for commercial offshore wind development in the United States. Ben Hellerstein, campaign organizer for Environment Massachusetts, issued the following statement in response:

“We have vast untapped potential to power the Eastern Seaboard with pollution-free wind energy, and now the first wind turbines are closer than ever to spinning off our nation’s shores. While special interests spent millions to thwart progress on the Cape Wind project, today’s auction makes it clear that offshore wind can be a key part of Massachusetts’ energy future. Now it’s up to Gov. Charlie Baker and other officials on Beacon Hill to match the Obama administration’s leadership when it comes to offshore wind.”