Interior to hold auction for offshore wind power in NY, NJ

By MATTHEW DALY and MIKE CATALINI
Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Biden administration says it will hold its first offshore wind auction next month. It’s offering nearly 500,000 acres off the coast of New York and New Jersey for wind energy projects that could produce enough electricity to power nearly 2 million homes. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says the Feb. 23 auction in the New York Bight region will allow offshore wind developers to bid on six lease areas, the most ever offered in an auction for offshore wind. The auction comes as the administration announced Wednesday a flurry of clean energy actions, including steps to speed up reviews of solar, onshore wind and geothermal energy projects.