The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced the cancellation of all designated Wind Energy Areas on the United States Outer Continental Shelf. This decision follows the DOI announcement with measures that will affect the planning and approval of wind energy projects on federal lands and offshore.
The decision also follows the Presidential Memorandum of 20 January 2025 that temporarily withdrew all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind leasing and began a review of leasing and permitting practices for wind projects.
Wind Energy Areas had been used to identify offshore sites considered most suitable for wind development. The cancellation removes over 3.5 million acres of unleased federal waters that had been earmarked for future offshore wind projects, including areas in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Maine, New York Bight, California, Oregon and the Central Atlantic.
