The Interior Dept. and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management breathed new life into offshore wind-farm leases on Feb. 2 by decreeing that in-depth environmental reviews are not needed before leasing can begin off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware. The announcement could shorten new offshore wind-farm construction by two years.
In a related move, on Feb. 3, BOEM put out a call for information and nominations to identify possible offshore wind locations off the Massachusetts coast.