The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week signed an interagency memo with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to advance wind energy responsibly while protecting biodiversity and promoting cooperative ocean use.
The Biden administration set a goal of significantly increasing the nation’s offshore wind energy capacity. This week’s agreement underscores NOAA’s and BOEM’s commitment to responsibly deploy 30 gigawatts of wind energy production capacity in Federal waters by 2030, according to NOAA:
“The memorandum will help leverage the responsibilities, expertise, and relationships of both NOAA and BOEM in support of the goal by outlining areas of cooperation, and creating a framework to develop future, more detailed agreements related to specific program areas.”
NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said:
“This agreement is powerful and timely as we face climate change head on. It will help ensure coordination, collaboration, and alignment by NOAA and BOEM at key decision points in support of the Administration’s offshore wind energy goal. It will also provide specific pathways for NOAA data and services while protecting our ecosystems and marine resources.”
And BOEM Director Amanda Lefton added:
“We are already seeing the impacts of climate change on communities across the country and the ocean resources that we manage. Now is the time to act. Working together, we will further advance offshore wind, which can play a critical role in meeting our country’s energy needs while combating climate change and creating new family supporting jobs. This agreement and the collaboration between NOAA and BOEM shows that fighting climate change and responsible resource management go hand-in-hand.”
Check out the full memo here.
