WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) welcomed the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) step forward on a second regional offshore wind energy sale in the Central Atlantic Ocean. BOEM’s Call for Information and Nominations is a key initial step toward identifying additional wind energy areas (WEAs) in the region for a potential second auction next year, following the first sale which was completed earlier this month.
BOEM’s action comes after a December 2023 agreement that Senator Van Hollen helped broker which led to BOEM committing to work towards a second round of lease sales in the Central Atlantic in 2025, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in June by BOEM and the State of Maryland to maximize offshore wind energy development off the coast of Maryland.
“In Maryland, we have a big opportunity to harness the renewable power of offshore wind to create good-paying jobs, cut energy costs, and combat the climate crisis. This step by the Biden-Harris Administration toward a potential second lease sale in the Central Atlantic is critical for us to fully maximize that opportunity. I’m grateful for the Administration’s continued partnership as we work toward our ambitious wind energy deployment goals,” said Senator Van Hollen.
Senator Van Hollen has played a pivotal role in facilitating the necessary state and federal collaboration to support Maryland’s offshore wind growth over the past year and a half. In January 2023, Senator Van Hollen led a letter to the Biden-Harris Administration urging them to maximize the leasing space available for offshore wind energy in the Central Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, in July, he and eight of his Senate colleagues pressed the White House to coordinate with all federal agencies with interests in ocean use in order to keep offshore wind projects across the nation on track. Later that month BOEM released a WEA map that included two leasing areas, – A1 and C2 – which were later found to be viable for development. Senator Van Hollen and Team Maryland continued to work with these officials with the goal of unlocking as much Central Atlantic offshore wind energy acreage as possible while balancing other important federal ocean use priorities such as national security operations, navigational safety, and environmental health. These engagements led to the White House’s December announcement of a proposed offshore wind lease sale of the A1 and C2 parcels to be held in 2024, along with a commitment to identify additional acreage off Maryland’s shores to be designated as WEAs for lease in a second sale as early as 2025. In keeping with that agreement, the sales of A1 and C2 were completed earlier this month, and last week’s announcement from BOEM kicks off the process for the second potential sale next year.
This Central Atlantic 2 Call Area consists of more than 13 million acres located off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. The purpose of BOEM’s Call for Information and Nominations is to gather information from interested and affected parties regarding site conditions, resources, and other uses in the Call Area, in order to determine suitable offshore wind energy areas for Central Atlantic 2, so that ultimately the best potential lease areas can be selected for new offshore wind projects.
