Gracie WarhurstThe Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the state of Maryland have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop offshore wind energy projects, the Department of the Interior (DOI) said this week.
“BOEM is proud of our commitment to build a robust offshore wind industry that benefits communities and co-exists with other ocean uses,” BOEM Director Klein said in a statement. “This Memorandum of Understanding solidifies our partnership to collaborate on expanding the opportunities for offshore wind energy in the Central Atlantic.”
Under the MOU, state officials and the BOEM will work to find suitable sites for offshore wind leases. This includes meetings with the Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force and other stakeholders to facilitate the projects.
The Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force is organized by the BOEM and brings together representatives from federal, state, local and tribal governments. Its purpose is to coordinate and facilitate communication for renewable energy projects in the region.
The task force works on issues such as site selection for wind energy projects, regulatory processes, environmental impact assessments and other challenges related to the development of offshore renewable energy resources.
Offshore wind plans in Maryland follow a trend of advancing clean energy nationwide, furthering the federal goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. Recently, projects have been proposed in New England and Oregon.
There are currently only three offshore wind energy farms in the U.S., located off Rhode Island, Virginia and Massachusetts coasts. Three more are being constructed in the same states. This MOU would kickstart the first offshore wind project in Maryland.
Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash
