Washington, D.C.—Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) released the following statement after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it is seeking public input on a proposed lease sale for offshore wind energy development off the coast of North Carolina:

“I am thrilled that the Biden administration is moving forward with an offshore wind lease sale in the Wilmington East Wind Energy Area,” said Congresswoman Ross. “Offshore wind energy offers the opportunity to address the climate crisis while meeting our future energy needs and providing good paying jobs. North Carolina is uniquely positioned to be a major player in what is projected to be a $140 billion-dollar industry, but success is dependent on strong cooperation among our federal, state, and local governments. I would like to thank BOEM Director Amanda Lefton and the Biden administration for their commitment to growing the clean energy sector by authorizing this lease sale, and I stand ready to work with them as this process continues.”

In April, Congresswoman Ross led bipartisan members of the North Carolina delegation in sending a bipartisan letter to Director Lefton expressing support for the Bureau’s efforts to promptly and responsibly advance lease sales of existing wind energy areas (WEAs) and identify new WEAs off the coast of North Carolina.

The proposed lease area consists of approximately 127,865 acres and includes the majority of the Wilmington East Wind Energy Area, which has the potential to unlock more than 1.5 GW of offshore wind energy and power more than 500,000 homes.

###