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Atlantic Wind Connection Files First Unsolicited Right-of-Way Application with BOEM
From Offshorewind.biz
Building on the significant momentum in support of the development of the Mid-Atlantic region’s abundant offshore wind energy resource, the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) today filed the first-ever unsolicited right-of-way application with the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for the use of certain areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to construct an offshore transmission system.
“The Mid-Atlantic region’s offshore waters hold vast potential for wind energy production. AWC offers a superhighway allowing large-scale development of this strategically important clean domestic energy resource efficiently, economically and with the least environmental impact,” said Markian Melnyk, president of Atlantic Grid Development, AWC’s development company.
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Obama Administration’s National Ocean Council Names State, Local and Tribal Representatives to Coordinating Body
From: whitehouse.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recognizing that successful ocean stewardship requires inter-governmental collaboration, the Obama Administration’s National Ocean Council today announced the inaugural members of the Governance Coordinating Committee, a group of state, local and tribal representatives that will serve as a key coordinating body on ocean policy issues.
President Obama signed an Executive Order in July, 2010, establishing the Nation’s first comprehensive, integrated National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and Great Lakes. America’s oceans and coastal regions support tens of millions of jobs and contribute trillions of dollars a year to the national economy. The National Ocean Policy identifies priority areas to focus our Nation’s stewardship efforts, including a collaborative, regionally based planning process to ensure healthy ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources for the many communities and economies that rely on and enjoy them.
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Interior Initiates Process for First “Smart from the Start” Lease for Commercial Wind Power Offshore Delaware
Determines No Competitive Interest for Area Proposed by NRG Bluewater Wind Delaware, LLC
From: Department of the Interior
WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Michael R. Bromwich today announced that the Department is initiating the process to offer the first commercial wind lease under the “Smart from the Start” Atlantic Offshore Wind program, off the coast of Delaware. The decision follows a determination that there is no competitive interest for commercial wind energy development in this area of the Outer Continental Shelf, precluding the need for competitive bidding.
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CRE Comments on BOEMRE’s Scoping for its Multisale Environmental Impact Statements
CRE comments focused on the following topics:
Models should be used only after they have been verified
Proprietary models and all other acoustic models should also comply with BOEMRE’s Information Quality Act Guidelines, which require that
“In situations where public access to data and methods will not occur due to other compelling interests, we will apply checks to analytical results and document what checks were undertaken. Our guidelines will, however, provide the specific data sources used, and the specific quantitative methods and assumptions we employed unless such information is deemed proprietary. We will define the type of checks, and the level of detail for documentation, given the nature and complexity of the issues.”
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From CRE Brazil:Overfishing of Sharks
A study done by New Southeastern University in Florida analyzed genetic material from 177 hammer head sharks on the Brazilian coast, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific and Indian Oceans and found in the DNA of 62 shark fins, the same species being sold in Hong Kong – one of the largest markets in the world where shark fins can cost up to US$700 per kilo. The research concluded that 21% of the fins came from the western Atlantic Ocean – an area that includes Brazil. For biologist Marcelo Szpilman, from the Aqualung Ecological Institute, the study indicates Brazilian fishermen are fishing illegally and trafficking shark fins. Aiming to curb these practices, community sectors are mobilizing. A public petition was sent to Congress supporting a new federal law stipulating that all sharks caught in Brazil be unloaded with their full fins and bodies intact. A bill to this effect has already been presented.
See http://cre.org.br/index.php?action=see-news&wneCode=444&language=eng
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For O’Malley and friend, interests align in offshore wind bill
From the Washington Post
By Aaron C. Davis, Tuesday, March 15, 11:04 AM
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s childhood friend and right-hand man for a decade stands to gain from the governor’s ambitious plan to subsidize development of an estimated $1.5 billion offshore wind farm.
Michael R. Enright is managing director of an energy firm behind a joint venture competing for federal leasing rights to develop the project.
The company would have to win both federal and state approvals. But if it does, a commission appointed by O’Malley (D) would work out a complex deal sending billions in revenue to the company over 25 years by raising almost every state resident’s electric bill.
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Developments in Offshore Wind
Obama Fast-tracks Federal Development of Offshore Wind
From Reed Smith
The Obama administration recently announced a strategic plan to accelerate the development of offshore wind by announcing more than $50 million in new research and development funding. The Department of Energy (“DOE”) will spend $25 million toward the development of innovative wind turbines and design tools; $18 million toward optimizing the wind and electric markets, and transmission and planning; and $7.5 million on developing next-generation, more cost-effective designs for wind turbine drivetrains.
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Clean may not always be green where wind power is concerned
Clean may not always be green where wind power is concernedFinding a balance between need for renewable energy and protecting landscape and wildlife is a sensitive issue when choosing sites for turbinesHundreds of people recently gathered at an Annapolis rally to promote offshore wind power, energized for change. A wind “superhero” in a blue and silver costume roamed the crowd with a flowing cape, while a grungy coal-costumed man symbolized the dismal alternative.
The crowd’s mood was upbeat and the message was clear: Wind power can transform the world.
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Offshore wind planning ‘not as inclusive as it should be’
From: Bar Harbor Times Soup
By Laurie Schreiber |Mar 08, 2011
Rockport — Inter-governmental task forces have been established to facilitate the development of offshore wind energy projects – but they don’t include the fishing industry or any other non-governmental body.
Wright Frank, an energy program specialist with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, discussed the latest developments in the wind energy siting process in offshore waters. Frank spoke during a session the Maine Fisherman’s Forum, which convened March 3-5 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.
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Comment time extended for ocean wind project
From The Gloucester Times
By Richard Gaines Staff Writer
Criticized for underpublicizing a request for developers to build windmills over more than 2,000 nautical square miles — including parts of the Georges Bank fishing grounds — the federal government has extended the public comment period for the controversial project.
The 30-day extension for public comments on the wind development project off the southern New England coast now expires March 30, according to the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.
