Biden to pursue wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico

The Biden administration will pursue the development of offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, the White House said Wednesday. 

The new proposed offshore wind areas in the Gulf would represent the first time that wind energy is produced in the Gulf, which is typically a hub for oil and gas production. 

According to a White House fact sheet, the areas where it is proposing offshore wind development have the potential to power 3 million homes. 

President Biden will also direct Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to advance wind energy off the mid- and Southern Atlantic Coasts and Florida’s Gulf Coast, though the White House did not announce any concrete plans to develop wind energy in these regions. 

The announcement comes as Biden is set to deliver remarks on climate change in Massachusetts on Wednesday. Biden is facing increasing pressure to act on climate change after swing vote Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) walked away from Senate climate talks this week. 

But progressives are likely to be unsatisfied by Biden’s Wednesday announcements, especially as many are calling for the declaration of a climate emergency. 

Biden is also making announcements aimed at tackling extreme heat, as communities in the U.S. and around the world faced high temperatures this week. Temperatures in Texas and Oklahoma reached 115 degrees on Wednesday, and 28 states issued heat warnings.  

The administration doubled the funding for communities to make themselves more resilient to heatwaves and other climate-related hazards including droughts, wildfires and floods, making $2.3 billion available through a Federal Emergency Management Agency program.

And the administration is releasing new guidance aimed at helping low income people have access to air conditioning. The new guidance will enable funds aimed at helping low income families with energy costs to be put toward community cooling centers and buying or loaning efficient air conditioners to vulnerable people.