The United States gets its first Off Shore Wind Farm

Photo from North American Wind Power

This is a great day for moving the United States toward cleaner energy and a safer future.

After 12 years of planning, the Biden/Harris Department of Interior has given approval for the nation's first offshore wind farm.

This wind farm called the Vineyard Wind Project, will when completed, create 62 wind turbines off the coast of Massachusetts (Martha's Vineyard) that will supply power to 400,000 homes.

It is also estimated to create 3600 jobs.

This project, according to reporting by the Washington Post, is the first of 14 projects designed to install offshore Windfarms from the coasts of Maine to North Carolina which could result in powering ten million homes.

The process has been complicated and taken time in part because it was necessary to work out compensation deals and rules with fishing interests in the coastal areas.

It also met some resistance from the anti clean energy Trump Administration.

The political obstacles were removed with the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Commenting on the announcement, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said:

“A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration's goals to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation. Today is one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans.”

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo also stated:

“Today’s offshore wind project announcement demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad. This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals, and I’m proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind.”

This is a tremendous opportunity for the country to move the energy sector forward in a clean and sustainable fashion.

More of this should be happening in Arizona as well with its geographic favorability to harnessing solar and wind power.

With this announcement and the hopeful passage of the clean energy components of the American Jobs Plan this summer, the United States will take a huge step forward in regaining the lead in combatting climate change and building options for sustainable clean energy.