Full Title: Offshore Wind Energy: Actions Needed to Address Gaps in Interior's Oversight of Development
Author(s): U.S. Government Accountability Office
Publisher(s): U.S. Government Accountability Office
Publication Date: April 14, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Offshore wind energy development in the U.S. is expanding. There are active wind farms and construction in the Atlantic and planned development off the Pacific coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. BOEM and BSEE are responsible for permitting and oversight of offshore wind projects. Numerous other federal agencies provide input throughout the process. As of January 2025, BOEM had granted 39 offshore wind leases to commercial developers, but on January 20, 2025, the President issued a memorandum that, among other things, prohibits agencies from new leasing, permits, or approvals for offshore wind projects pending a review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. As the pace of offshore wind development has accelerated, state and local communities, Tribes, and non-government entities could experience the potential effects of offshore wind development.
GAO was asked to review offshore wind development in federal waters. This report examines (1) what is known about the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development, and (2) what mechanisms BOEM, in coordination with other agencies, has in place to oversee offshore wind energy development and to what extent they address potential impacts.
To examine potential impacts, GAO contracted with the National Academies to identify a panel of 23 experts to include diverse participant backgrounds and cover a range of potential impact categories. These include impacts to emissions, marine life and ecosystems, and maritime navigation and safety. Information obtained through expert interviews formed the basis of GAO’s findings on the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development.