To date, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued 16 commercial leases in the United States to offshore wind developers for projects in federal waters off the East Coast according to the GAO Report, “Offshore Wind Energy,” December 2020. As of April 2021, though, only two offshore wind projects are online in the United States: (1) Block Island, consisting of five turbines off the Rhode Island coast, and (2) Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a two-wind turbine demonstration project off the Virginia coast. Uncertainty around the regulatory process for this relatively new industry has delayed project development and hampered investment in the ports and vessels necessary for wind farm development.

Despite the setbacks, the U.S. offshore wind industry is now poised for tremendous growth. On March 8, 2021, BOEM released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the Vineyard Wind development off the Massachusetts coast. BOEM’s FEIS signals that BOEM will likely permit Vineyard Wind to proceed to construction, and it is a significant step forward for the project. BOEM’s FEIS is likely to spark additional activity and investment in the offshore wind industry in the United States.

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