The US Trump administration’s recently released fiscal year 2021 budget earmarked $188m for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the body responsible for managing offshore energy and mineral resources on the US outer continental shelf (OCS), of which $26.5m was for renewable energy development, up $5m from 2020.

Under “Administration Priorities” in the Budget Justification, it read, “the budget proposes to increase funding for certain renewable energy activities to meet the demands triggered by the [BOEM’s] leasing program and allow for the streamlining of its permitting and NEPA [ National Environmental Policy Act] processes”.