Offshore wind power is in the early stages of development in the United States. In 2016, the first offshore wind farm started operation at Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Other projects are under development in wind-rich areas of the East Coast, Great Lakes, and Pacific coast. In January 2012, a "Smart for the Start" regulatory approach was introduced, designed to expedite the siting process while incorporating strong environmental protections. Specifically, the Department of Interior approved “wind energy areas” off the coast where projects can move through the regulatory approval process more quickly. The NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) has released a cadastre web tool to illustrate suitability of Eastern seaboard areas.
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Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is a federal agency responsible for determining offshore areas where wind farms may be built on the Outer Continental Shelf. It sells leases to qualified bidders.
Operational
North America’s first floating wind turbine (Volturn US) that will produce power was ceremonially lowered into the Penobscot River in Maine in 2013.
The 30MW Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States and started operation in December 2016.
Under construction
Federally funded
In May 2014, the United States Department of Energy chose three offshore wind projects to receive up to $47 million apiece over a four-year period: