Offshore wind gets a gust of approval

Every few weeks, it seems, there's a new development for offshore wind. It's an important topic in New Jersey, where several wind farms are in the works.

Today, Ken Salazar, secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, launched a new initiative that would identify priority areas for offshore wind development and streamline the permitting process.

He said it would help avoid the pitfalls of the Cape Wind project in Massachusetts. "It took about eight years to get that project authorized," he said at a press conference in Baltimore, which I accessed by phone. "Far took long," he added.

Regulations will be revised to simplify the leasing process for offshore wind in areas where there is only one qualified and interested developer, potentially saving about six to 12 months worth of red tape.

Officials from Delaware and Maryland praised the move. None from New Jersey were present.

Jim Lanard, president of the Offshore Wind Development Coalition, said today's announcement "shows the offshore wind industry in the U.S. is open for business.  It's the signal that we've been looking for and waiting for, for many years."

All spoke of how developing offshore wind will create American jobs.

You can read the Department of the Interior press release and learn more information here.