Biden administration proposes its first offshore wind lease sale 

The Biden administration has revealed that an area between the coasts of New York and New Jersey will be the location of its first proposed offshore wind lease sale, and the federal government’s ninth overall.

The Interior Department announced the competitive sale Friday. Companies will be able to place bids on tracts of water with the goal of building an offshore wind farm.

It estimated that up to 7 gigawatts of energy could be generated in the areas the federal government is trying to lease — enough energy to power more than 2.6 million homes.

“Climate change poses an existential threat — not just to our environment, but to our health, our communities, and our economic well-being. The Biden-Harris administration recognizes the urgency of this moment, and the development of renewable energy resources is an important piece of addressing this reality,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. 

The areas being auctioned off would be located in the New York Bight, which is between Long Island and New Jersey. 

In a notice announcing the sale in the Federal Register, the department outlined potential stipulations that could be attached to the sale, including attempts to boost underserved communities through workforce training and contracting with minority-owned and women-owned businesses. 

It is also weighing possible incentives for such actions. 

The announcement is the latest in a series of attempts to bolster offshore wind that the administration has taken in an attempt to reach President Biden’s goal of reaching a generating capacity of 30 gigawatts by 2030. 

The U.S. has just two relatively small wind farms currently in operation, but additional opportunities are at various stages of development, including a recently approved commercial-scale farm.