US extends comment period on Va. offshore wind research

(AP) – The federal government is giving the public an extra two weeks to weigh in on Virginia’s proposed offshore wind research plans.

The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy wants to build and operate two 6-megawatt wind turbine generators 24 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The research project would test the winds and collect other data in a vast area of the ocean set aside for wind development. Dominion Virginia Power successfully bid on the lease on the ocean bottom for the construction of wind turbines.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says the public has until Jan. 16 to comment on the proposal. The bureau is conducting an environmental assessment.