NWF hails dawn of U.S. offshore wind

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The United States is moving closer to tapping into one of the more productive forms of clean energy by opening the door to offshore wind, the NWF said.

Washington announced last week it was ready to move forward with a lease sale for offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Coast. The decision came after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said there would be no environmental or socioeconomic effects from issuing wind energy leases off the mid-Atlantic coast.

Catherine Bowes, a senior policy official at the National Wildlife Federation, said she applauded the White House for "hitting the accelerator" on offshore wind.

"By expediting the permitting process for responsible offshore wind energy without sacrificing critical environmental review, America is one step closer to harnessing the massive economic and environmental benefits that will come from tapping this immense domestic clean energy source," she said in a statement.

A national laboratory said there was an estimated 4,150 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity in the United States. There are no commercial-scale offshore wind farms in the country, however.