Saturday, March 31, 2012

New York and Department of Energy reach wind deal

New York State has reached a deal with the Obama administration that will speed up the development of off-shore wind projects on the Great Lakes.

Friday, the Department of Energy announced a Memorandum of Understanding with New York and four other states that would basically streamline the regulatory reviews of any proposed off-shore proposals.

Last year, New York State passed the Article X law, giving itself power to make the final decision on wind projects instead of local governments. The Department of Energy says this deal is all about the President's commitment to renewable energy.

"We're also very strongly committed to make sure all regulatory steps are properly performed and all kinds of public comment and all of those protections are fully observed. We're just trying to be efficient in the way we do that," said Daniel Poneman of the U.S. Department of Energy.

And while there aren't any wind projects on the Great Lakes yet , there is a proposal in the works for one on Lake Erie.

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