Feds pick New Englands offshore wind development area, drawing cheers and questions alike [Video]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government on Friday designated a large area off the New England coast for offshore wind production development, setting the stage for a possible lease sale within the Gulf of Maine.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said in a statement that the New England zone, which renewable energy advocates have identified as crucial for the growth of wind power, “avoids important areas for lobster fishing, North Atlantic right whale habitat, and other important fishing areas and habitats.”

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, and three Maine lawmakers — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, independent Sen. Angus King and Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree — also issued a joint statement saying the designated area “preserves vital fishing grounds and seeks to minimize potential environmental and ecological impacts to the Gulf of Maine.”

The move came a day after the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farmopened off Montauk Point, New York. Environmental groups cheered the announcement, but some members of …