Agency hastens wind farms

NORFOLK, Va. – The U.S. Department of Energy says it intends to spend $50 million to speed the development of offshore wind farms, with a goal of issuing leases off four Atlantic Coast states by the end of the year.

The Interior Department said Monday that sites along the coasts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey have been identified for potential wind farms.

They’re part of an effort to help meet President Barack Obama’s goal of generating 80 percent of the nation’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.

The review process for a lease for the nation’s first wind farm, off the coast of Massachusetts, took eight years.

Associated Press