Milestone Achievement: New England Wind Receives Record of Decision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 2, 2024
Contact:
Jennifer Delony, New England for Offshore Wind
jdelony@ne4osw.org, 603.320.7043
BOSTON – April 2, 2024 – New England for Offshore Wind (@NE4OSW) today celebrated the Record of Decision (ROD) for New England Wind as an essential milestone for the region’s climate goals.
“We applaud the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for issuing the ROD for New England Wind. This momentous decision underscores the critical importance of standing up the U.S. offshore wind industry efficiently and responsibly, recognizing the balance between environmental protection and our urgent need for sustainable energy,” said Kelt Wilska, Offshore Wind Director, Environmental League of Massachusetts, and NE4OSW Regional Lead. “The projects comprising New England Wind can help New England continue building a thriving offshore wind sector that fosters a diverse local and regional supply chain with union jobs that provide stability, security, and a pathway to prosperity for working families.”
“The ROD for New England Wind represents another crucial milestone towards achieving our climate goals, particularly in light of the 1,800 MW projects’ recent submission into the MA, RI, and CT joint-solicitation,” said Amanda Barker, Policy Advocate at Green Energy Consumers Alliance and NE4OSW RI State Committee Lead. “We commend BOEM for their thorough review process and for bringing us one step closer to a successful offshore wind industry in Rhode Island and throughout the region.”
“BECMA is pleased that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced a Record of Decision (ROD) for New England Wind,” said Nicole Obi, President & CEO at the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts. “New England Wind has the potential to significantly advance environmental and economic justice in the region, and this announcement moves us closer to building out the infrastructure necessary to meet our climate and sustainability goals. We look forward to continued partnership with NE4OSW as we mark additional milestones in the critical development of the offshore wind sector in our area.”
“The timing of BOEM’s ROD for the New England Wind projects could not have come at a better time, as these projects have recently bid into the joint Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island offshore wind solicitation, which closed last week,” said Charles Rothenberger, Climate and Energy Attorney with Save the Sound. “With this decision, New England Wind is one step closer to delivering more than 1,800 MW of clean renewable energy to the regional grid, energy that is critical to powering a sustainable future.”
Background
In late March, Avangrid bid the two projects comprising New England Wind – formerly known as Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind – into the current Massachusetts offshore wind solicitation. In conjunction with the submissions, Avangrid renamed Park City Wind as New England Wind I and Commonwealth Wind as New England Wind II.
Read the NE4OSW statement on the offshore wind project bids submitted in late March for open solicitations in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
NE4OSW Applauds Next Step in Historic Tri-State Offshore Wind Procurement: tinyurl.com/5n77jskd
About New England for Offshore Wind
New England for Offshore Wind (www.NewEnglandforOffshoreWind.org) is a broad-based coalition of businesses and associations, environmental and justice organizations, academic institutions, and labor unions committed to combatting climate change by increasing the supply of clean energy to our regional grid through more procurements of responsibly developed offshore wind. We believe that offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis and strengthen our regional economy, protect ratepayers, improve public health by reducing pollution, and create family sustaining union jobs while fostering a diverse local and regional supply chain.