MMS Takes Major Step Forward on Offshore Alternative Energy

[kristopher]

MMS Takes Major Step Forward on Offshore Alternative Energy

Issues Notice to Determine Competitive Interest in Nominated Areas

WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service today designated five areas on the Outer Continental Shelf as priority areas for alternative energy research in federal waters.

The five areas are offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Florida and California. The agency is proposing limited, temporary leases in these areas for data collection and technology testing related to wind, wave and ocean current energy development. There will be no commercial energy production activity associated with the proposed leases.

“This is a major step forward in expanding our nation’s energy portfolio,” said MMS Director Randall Luthi during a speech today at the Global Marine Renewable Energy conference in New York. “The information gained from research in these areas will greatly increase our understanding of the vast renewable energy potential just off our coast,” he said.

The agency received over forty nominations for alternative energy research projects in response to a November 2007 Federal Register notice. Of those, 16 could potentially go forward within the five priority areas. Ten of those proposed projects are related to wind energy and would be located in the areas offshore New Jersey, Delaware and Georgia. Four proposals offshore Florida would be related to ocean current energy, and two off Northern California would be related to wave energy. The remaining nominations are still being considered by MMS, and decisions will be based on the proposed projects’ viability.

Prior to leases actually being issued or consideration of specific project proposals, the agency must first determine if competitive interest exists for research in the five areas. MMS must also evaluate other information related to those areas such as environmental factors and current commercial activities such as fishing and shipping.

The agency issued a Federal Register notice to be published Friday that provides details about the five areas along with instructions for the public to provide comments. Individuals or organizations with competitive interest will have 30 days to provide comments, and the agency will accept public comments on the proposed lease areas for 60 days. The Federal Register notice can be found at https://ocsconnect.mms.gov/pcs-public/do/ProjectDetailView?objectId=0b011f808028166f

The November notice also established interim guidelines for alternative energy research and testing on the OCS. MMS is preparing final regulations for the OCS Alternative Energy and Alternate Use program in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and hopes to publish those regulations by the end of the year.

“We are excited to be moving forward and hope to work with interested and affected parties to advance our knowledge of important offshore energy resources,” stated Director Luthi.

Comments may be submitted by either of the following methods:

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Under the tab “More Search Options,” click Advanced Docket Search, then select “Minerals Management Service” from the agency drop-down menu, then click “submit.” In the Docket ID column, select MMS-2008-OMM-0020 to submit public comments and to view supporting and related materials available for this rulemaking.

2. Mailing your comments to the following address:

Minerals Management Service

Offshore Minerals Management

Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Team

381 Elden Street

Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized MMS to establish the OCS Alternative Energy and Alternate Use (AEAU) Program. Under this authority, MMS will regulate alternative energy projects and projects that involve the alternate use of existing oil and gas platforms on the OCS. Alternative energy includes, but is not limited to wind, wave, solar, underwater current and generation of hydrogen. Alternate uses of existing facilities may include aquaculture, research, education, recreation, or support for offshore operations and facilities.

[XemaSab]

1. If they want wind

thay're going to have a good time with Marbled Murrelet and Brown Pelican, among others. :P

[kristopher]

3. There are few bird in the offshore areas. It is too far from coast. nt

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[kristopher]

4. Marvin, Marvin, Marvin, what am I going to do with you?

Just when I think you've exhausted your repertoire, you come up with another innovative way to display your ignorance, vile manner and overall inability to grasp complexity.

When we extended our economic control of the resources of the oceans out to the 200 mile limit, we nearly doubled the size of the United States. All of that land is held in trust for the people of this country by the government. So when someone wants to use if for commercial purposes they are using the common property of the people and are required to get permission from the government for their activity.

Until around 2000 only a very few people realized the extent of the wind resource available offshore. In particularly, the shallow sand flats of the mid Atlantic, being in close proximity to some of the heaviest electrical load in the nation, we're revealed to be one of the most important energy resources of the nation. The trouble was, there existed no method by which a company could ask permission to use the water column and the space above it for this purpose. About 2 years ago, congress decided the best agency to handle the processing of such request was the Minerals and Management Service, since they already had experience with management of offshore gas and oil leases.
To that end they have spent these last 2 years working out a process that will streamline the permitting and leasing of these vast areas for development as a source of nonfossil energy. They are now ready to begin the formal process of selecting developers. This involves technology testing and, more importantly for wind, the installation of monitoring stations for on site recording of wind and sea conditions. Unlike, nuclear, which can't get financing at all without government guarantees (why is that), wind's most difficult hurdle in obtaining financing is the requirement for 2 years worth of data collected on site. This developed out of variability in conditions that exist on land. However, that scale of variability doesn't exist offshore so once these initial tests and environmental impact assessments are completed, the costs of permitting for wind leases in this VAST OFFSHORE AREA is going to drop like a rock in a still pool of clear water.

It's obvious you have little experience with or knowledge of the development of large projects and national policy processes behind same.

Poor little feller, a planet sized brain burnt out on anger and hate.