U.S. to Hold Sale for Offshore Wind Energy Leases WASHINGTON - The federal government will hold the first lease sale for commercial offshore wind energy projects at the end of July, the Interior Department announced Tuesday. The sale will offer 164,750 acres of federal waters off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. If that is fully developed, officials said, it could produce as much as 3,400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than one million homes. The lease sale shows the Obama administration's determination to pursue a wide range of domestic energy production, from fossil fuels and renewable sources. Sally Jewell, the new secretary of the interior, said the department would accelerate offshore wind leasing if the July 31 lease sale was successful. "Today we are moving closer to tapping into the enormous potential offered by offshore wind to create jobs, increase our sustainability and strengthen our nation's competitiveness in this new energy frontier," Ms. Jewell said in a statement. As we experience record domestic oil and gas development, we are also working to ensure that America leads the world in developing the energy of the future. Ms. Jewell's predecessor, Ken Salazar, started the push toward Atlantic Coast wind energy in 2010, identifying a number of sites with significant potential. Federal, state and private officials have also begun planning a major undersea transmission line known as the Atlantic Wind Connection to carry power from offshore turbines to onshore distribution centers. The first federal lease sale will be limited to nine bidders who have met the technical, legal and financial qualifications to build offshore turbine farms. The Interior Department will also consider whether the wind developers have negotiated agreements with utilities to buy wind-generated power. The department conducted an environmental assessment of the impacts of major offshore wind installations and said it found no significant impact. But some opponents have claimed that the turbines, which can reach as high as 440 feet above the ocean surface, are unsightly, dangerous to birds and a hazard to navigation. Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, said offshore wind projects would benefit the economy while producing low-carbon energy. "Offshore wind is a win for American jobs, for American energy security and for our environment," Mr. Markey said, "and it will start off the coast of New England." In 2010, federal officials approved the fiercely contested offshore wind farm known as Cape Wind after nine years of battles with Massachusetts residents, including members of the Kennedy family, who objected to the giant turbines off the coast of Nantucket. The Cape Wind project, on which construction is scheduled to begin this year, will cover 24 square miles and lie about 5.2 miles from the nearest shore, on the mainland, and about 13.8 miles from Nantucket Island. About a dozen other privately financed offshore wind projects are in various stages of development.