• Ocean

Ocean Activists Planning to “Flood” the Nation’s Capital Next Week

• #BuildBackBetter
• Blue Economy
• coastal restoration
• Infrastructure
• ocean
• offshore wind
• ports
• storm surge
• sustainable fisheries

Hundreds of citizens will fan out across the nation’s capital next week to meet with lawmakers in what’s projected to be the largest ocean lobby effort in US history.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, they will meet with Biden administration officials, federal agencies, and members of Congress for a nonpartisan Ocean Climate Action Hill Day.

Why It Matters:  As the Biden administration and the Congress begin to debate what’s infrastructure and therefore within the American Jobs Plan, the blue economy needs to be front and center in it.

• Energy

In Scotland’s Stormiest Waters, Offshore Wind Is Thriving

• offshore wind
• renewables
• Scotland
• wind energy

by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The world’s first floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland is breaking records for energy output. Three years after installing the offshore turbines in the rough North Sea waters 15 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, it’s the UK’s best-performing wind farm with the highest average “capacity factor” […]

• Energy

Biden’s Cabinet Talks Big Plans for Offshore Wind Power

• Department of Energy
• Department of Transportation
• NOAA
• offshore wind
• President Biden

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Yesterday, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with state officials, industry executives, and labor leaders to announce a set of actions to significantly expand offshore wind. The new leasing, funding, and goals will […]

• Energy

Vineyard Wind Project Nears Final Approval

• carbon emissions
• clean energy
• Martha's Vineyard
• offshore wind
• renewable energy
• Vineyard Wind
• wind

After years of delays, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Vineyard Wind 1, which is located in an area of the Atlantic Ocean about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The publication of the EIS puts the wind project one step away from federal approval. 

Why this Matters:  This project has overcome objections from President Trump, local fishers, and even some local environmental organizations.

• Energy

Biden Finally Pushes Vineyard Wind Project Forward After Years of Delays

• Massachusetts
• offshore wind
• renewable energy
• Senator Ed Markey
• Vineyard Wind

by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer In 2018, Vineyard Wind planned to build the first utility-scale offshore wind project near Martha’s Vineyard — a project that could create thousands of jobs and generated enough energy to serve 400,000 households and businesses. However, this project has been riddled with delays, as the project met regulatory hurdles […]

• Ocean

New Offshore Wind Facility Approved By New York

• BP
• clean energy
• Equinor
• New York
• offshore wind
• renewable energy
• Vineyard Wind

New York state selected Norwegian energy giant Equinor to build and supply clean energy from two offshore wind facilities in one of the largest renewable energy deals ever in the United States, according to Reuters.

Why This Matters:  Offshore wind projects are a highly anticipated source of clean, renewable energy — but have been hard to get off the ground so far.