January 22, 2019 — New Hampshire may soon join the handful of New England states actively pursuing offshore wind energy development.
On January 2, Governor Chris Sununu sent a letter to Walter Cruickshank, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, requesting that the agency establish an intergovernmental offshore renewable energy task force. The move is the first step in a multiyear process.
“The task force will mirror those in other states,” said Matthew Mailloux, an energy advisor with New Hampshire’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, in an email.
“Its purpose is to facilitate coordination with federal and New Hampshire stakeholders to determine the feasibility of offshore wind in federal waters off New Hampshire’s coast. This is a preliminary step in a lengthy process prior to any decision,” he said.