The room was full yesterday at a wind meeting held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), despite starting off with 45 minutes of powerpoint presentations about the federal government process.

Heather, a student at BU, said “The view from my home was marred by coal smokestacks. I wish it could have been wind turbines instead”. Heather grew up near Salem, MA, where a plant has been pumping out mercury, CO2, and other air pollution for decades. She wants to see our dirty energy like coal replaced with clean energy like offshore wind.

The BOEM staff went through how we are on step one out of 4, (essentially just starting to think about leasing the area), and I personally was encouraged to see that clearly there is a strong commitment to include everyone and a dedication to getting it right. Many of those who spoke and who asked questions after the presentations pointed out that this wierd winter showed we need a clean alternative to our dirty power, like coal, that we are currently using.

AlthoughValentine’s Day and the hearing are both over, you can still show some love for offshore wind here.