The Biden administration has opened bidding on new offshore wind development rights, attracting a record-setting $1.5 billion of sales on Wednesday alone. That’s more than triple the previous U.S. record for a wind auction, set in 2018. The new leases cover areas off the coasts of New York and New Jersey and could one day provide power to nearly 2 million homes. Some coastal communities have objected to offshore wind, citing falling property values and concerns over local ecosystems. Other environmentalists, like the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, welcome wind power as a path toward cleaner energy.

Ed Potosnak: “The greatest threat to our oceans is not windmills. The greatest threat to our oceans is climate change. The temperatures of our oceans are rising. The ocean is acidifying. Our coral reefs are dying and bleaching. We’re losing species by the day. We can stop that. Wind will help us to reduce our carbon pollution.”