skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

NC Offshore Wind-Lease Auction Begins Today

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 16, 2017   

KITTY HAWK, N.C. -- It's the first step towards seeing wind turbines off the coast of North Carolina. Today, one of three available offshore wind energy leases will be offered at auction.

The Kitty Hawk Wind Energy Area lies east of Currituck Sound about 24 nautical miles from the shore at its closest point. Chris Carnevale, coastal climate and energy manager at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said it's just the beginning.

"North Carolina has the biggest offshore wind resource in the nation, and so this is one step toward harnessing that potential,” Carnevale said.

The lease is offered by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The company with the winning bid for the lease will then explore the area to assess the suitability for an offshore wind farm. After the viability studies are completed, the leaseholder will have to apply for permits and go through public and environmental reviews.

Opponents of offshore wind have said it will obstruct coastal views.

The Department of Energy estimates offshore wind manufacturing could create between 10,000 and 20,000 new jobs and meet 20 percent of the state's energy needs. Carnevale said the potential contributions don't stop there.

"There's also a lot of environmental benefits. It's clean, emissions-free, it does not use any water to generate power with wind, like traditional power plants do,” he said. "So there's economic benefits and large environmental benefits."

The country's first offshore wind farm is online off the coast of Block Island, R.I. The offshore wind leases are being offered after the Obama administration cleared the way for the auctions just prior to the end of his term in January.

Wind power already plays a large role in the European Union, with officials estimating it will provide as much as 17 percent of electricity by 2020.

More information on the development of an offshore wind farm in North Carolina is available here.

Reporting by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the Park Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021