U.S. ENVIROS WANT OCEAN WIND

Report: US has untapped offshore wind potential
Glenn Adams, December 1, 2010 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

"America has a largely untapped potential for offshore wind power…[and should take] a more aggressive approach for wind power development off the Atlantic coast…[Offshore Wind in the Atlantic] calls for a permitting process that's friendlier to offshore wind power, establishment of priority zones for offshore wind, more research on offshore wind technologies, and efforts to promote quality jobs, especially in manufacturing, that would result from that industry.

"The report was prepared by the National Wildlife Federation and co-sponsored by more than 35 other organizations, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine and Environment Maine. The Maine AFL-CIO supports its findings…[It comes] barely a week after U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar promised to spur offshore wind projects in the Atlantic Ocean by expediting permits and identifying promising areas for wind power…[which] could result in leases issued within two years, instead of seven years or more…[W]ind farms would be 10 to 50 miles offshore, out of sight from land…"

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"Of the 212 gigawatts of wind power potential off the Atlantic coast, wind projects harnessing 6 gigawatts have been proposed or are advancing through the permitting process, according to the report. Those proposed projects would generate the equivalent of up to a half dozen coal-fired plants, enough to supply the needs of about 1.5 million homes annually…

"While Atlantic wind resources are largely untapped, European countries have more than 900 turbines producing enough power for at least 450,000 homes. Even offshore wind-power goals of European countries and China dwarf those of the United States…Offshore wind offsets the need for fossil fuels such as coal and oil, whose consumption leads to environmental damage, including global warming, and a range of public health risks including thousands of premature deaths, says the report…"

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"…[D]evelopment of an offshore wind industry would create thousands of jobs…[T]he Ocean Energy Task Force says development of 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind would create 16,700 new or retained jobs per year for 20 years [in Maine]. The report also cites studies showing a potential for roughly 10,000 jobs in Virginia and nearly 2,000 jobs in South Carolina resulting from offshore wind.

"The report lists proposed projects, or projects that have moved to advanced steps such as leasing or power contracts, in 13 East Coast states…[They include Maine,] New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida."