Spurring Development of Offshore Wind Projects

On March 30, 2012, the Obama Administration and Great Lakes states announced an agreement to spur development of offshore wind projects through a multi-state, multi-agency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The MOU will focus the efforts of key Federal and state regulatory agencies to enhance coordination and speed review of potential projects and promote the efficient and responsible development of offshore wind resources in the Great Lakes.

To safely and responsibly develop offshore wind resources, Federal and State agencies – which share jurisdiction in the Great Lakes – must fully evaluate the potential social, environmental, safety and security impacts of projects. The MOU will enhance collaboration between Federal and State agencies to accelerate the development of clean, American energy from offshore wind energy resources in the Great Lakes region. Specifically, Federal and State agencies will develop an action plan that sets priorities and recommends steps for achieving efficient and responsible evaluation of proposed offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes region.

Click here to read the Fact Sheet.

Click here to read the Great Lakes MOU.

Click here to read the press release.

The following participants have signed the MOU:

State of Illinois
State of Michigan
State of Minnesota
State of New York 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
White House Council on Environmental Quality
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of the Army
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Federal Aviation Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration