Biden administration announces plan to boost offshore wind power

As part of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the Biden administration announced a plan on Monday to designate an area between New Jersey and New York as a priority offshore wind zone, accelerate permits for proposed wind projects along the Atlantic, and provide $3 billion in federal loan guarantees for offshore wind projects.

The plan also calls for the installation of 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind turbines by 2030, which could power 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. White House officials said that workers will be needed to develop these offshore wind facilities, and the plan creates 44,000 new jobs directly and another 33,000 indirectly.

There are now only two small offshore wind facilities in the U.S., and Gina McCarthy, the White House's national climate adviser, said this "new, untapped industry" will "create pathways to the middle class for people from all backgrounds."

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