ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — The Biden administration is doubling down on efforts to bring offshore wind to the central Atlantic ahead of a planned lease auction later this year.
The White House signed a deal Friday with Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore to coordinate bringing offshore wind to his state, including regular meetings of a task force while federal officials are planning wind auctions.
The memorandum of understanding comes on the heels of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management finalizing an environmental review of an offshore wind auction for Maryland that will be smaller than state advocates had hoped.
“Maryland will play an important role in helping achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious renewable energy goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement. “Today’s announcement represents another important step towards a clean, reliable energy future with good-paying jobs and economic opportunities that are accessible to communities across America.”
