Statement re Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind Lease Sale

Chapel Hill, N.C. –“Today’s action by the U.S. Department of the Interior accelerates responsible renewable energy development off the coast of North Carolina. ”

“If developed responsibly, offshore wind energy promises to generate not only clean electricity, but also jobs and economic growth. This clean, renewable energy resource has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs in North Carolina in the coming decades, while coexisting with the thriving ocean-based industries that create billions of dollars in GDP for the state, including tourism, recreation, and commercial fishing.

“Strong protections for sensitive marine resources and marine life, including fisheries, coral reefs, and the endangered North American Right Whale,  are critical to any responsible development of offshore wind facilities”.

Background: The BOEM notice is available at: https://www.boem.gov/FSN-NC/.  The lease sale is planned for March 16th.
The first offshore wind farm in the United States, located off Rhode Island, started sending clean power to the grid in December 2016. Massachusetts and New York recently adopted offshore wind targets to generate 1600 and 2400 MW respectively, and Europe has enough wind turbines spinning offshore to replace 10 large, polluting coal-fired power plants.

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The Southern Environmental Law Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. With nine offices across the region (Charlottesville, VA; Chapel Hill, NC; Atlanta, GA; Charleston, SC; Washington, DC; Birmingham, AL; Nashville, TN; Asheville, NC; and Richmond, VA), SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect the South’s natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region. www.SouthernEnvironment.org