It takes quite a long time for an offshore wind project to be taken from the status of proposal to approved for construction. In this regard, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that the office is working to accelerate the process of releasing permits and the responsible siting and development of wind energy projects along the Atlantic coast.
The infamous Cape Wind project (the first of this kind) experienced considerable delays, eight long years, in the bureaucratic procedure coming from both the state and local institutions.
It looks like the Department of the Interior steps forward and actively intervenes so that the wind power projects come to an end at a much faster rate.
Salazar also pointed out that other federal officials would work alongside governors getting their “hands dirty” with finding geographical locations that have potential for wind projects.
The secretary said that the new “smart permitting process” entails, among other, the efforts to coordinate state and federal requirements. If it does cut the time it will take to land a permit from 7 years to 2, it will be major progress indeed.
This long red tape on the local and state levels for granting permits has been holding back the U.S. progress in the offshore wind power sector, by compared with other countries.
