PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. government chose winning bids Tuesday to develop wind power off New England in the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a lease sale and selected nearly $22 million in winning bids for four lease areas from two firms. The sale is a step toward accelerating President Joe Biden’s goal of dramatically expanding offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.

Environmentalists praised the lease sale, though commercial fishermen who have questioned the expansion of offshore wind said they remain opposed. The lease areas are in the Gulf of Maine, which is a critical fishing ground for the U.S. lobster industry.

The awarding of the leases is “a critical step in our fight against climate change,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Two of the leases went to Avangrid Renewables for areas 35 miles from Massachusetts. The other two leases went to Invenergy NE Offshore Wind for areas 25 miles from Massachusetts.

The leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes, the Interior Department said.

The bids totaled just over $21.9 million.

Avangrid is a joint owner, along with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, of the Vineyard Wind project, a 62-turbine wind farm under construction 15 miles off Massachusetts.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had planned a floating offshore wind sale off Oregon for this month, but it was postponed amid lack of bidder interest and opposition by the governor.