Offshore wind on the Pacific coast
Planning and development of offshore wind (OSW) energy generation in United States waters has accelerated greatly as a result of Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, issued January 27, 2021, and a related Administration action to deploy 30 Gigawatts of OSW energy by 2030. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead Federal agency responsible for offshore energy exploration and development in the U.S. and has embarked on an ambitious effort to identify areas suitable for OSW development, and to auction off the rights to develop specific areas. The Council has engaged closely with BOEM to identify and minimize any potential impacts to fishing activities, habitats (including essential fish habitat), and coastal communities. On the West Coast, BOEM has identified potential OSW areas off California and Oregon.
Offshore wind
Correspondence
- April 2023 Letter to BOEM on Offshore Wind Process Recommendations
- April 2023 Letter to BOEM Oregon’s Offshore Wind Process
- March 2023 Letter to BOEM on Proposed Rule
- August 2022 letter to BOEM on California Proposed Sale Notice
- July 2022 letter to NMFS on NOAA Aquaculture Opportunity Areas
- July 2022 letter to USCG from DeFazio and Graves re: USCG perceived lack of involvement in BOEM activities
- June 2022 letter to BOEM from DeFazio and Wyden re: Oregon Call Areas
- June 2022 letter to BOEM from DeFazio, et al
- May 2022 letter to BOEM on Morro Bay Wind Energy Area draft Environmental Assessment
- February 2022 Letter to Humboldt County Planning Department on Nordic Aquafarms California, LLC
Upcoming events
(not hosted by the Council)
- Pacific Ocean Energy Trust is hosting the Northwest Offshore Wind Conference February 28 – March 1, 2023, in Portland, Oregon. The conference will feature speakers from state and federal agencies, offshore wind energy companies, and panel sessions on research and monitoring, fisheries, supply chain, lessons learned, and others.
- On Feb. 22 and 23, 2023, the Departments of Energy, the Interior, Commerce, and Transportation will virtually convene offshore wind energy stakeholders to discuss the Floating Offshore Wind Shot™—an ambitious initiative to cut the cost of floating offshore wind energy by over 70% by 2035.
In the news
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) and Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) are requesting information on university-based offshore wind energy centers and the co-location of aquaculture and ocean renewable energy. Responses are due by 5:00pm EDT (9:00pm UTC) on 15 March 2023.
- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released the Renewable Energy Modernization Rule. The public comment deadline is March 31, 2023.
- BOEM released a Final Rule on Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf. The rule transfers the applicable renewable energy Departmental regulations from BOEM to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Furthermore, this final rule reassigns renewable energy regulations pertaining to safety, environmental oversight, and enforcement from BOEM to BSEE.
- BOEM Announces Proposed Rule to Increase Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources; opens 60-day comment period.
- The Administration published a U.S. National Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions. This “creates a U.S. system to account for natural assets—from the minerals that power our tech economy and are driving the electric-vehicle revolution, to the ocean and rivers that support our fishing industry, to the forests that clean our air—and quantify the immense value this natural capital provides.”
- On January 23rd, the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) released a report identifying how the United States can develop a robust and equitable domestic supply chain required to achieve the national offshore wind target of 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. Here is a news piece on the report, from TheHill.com.
- Nine Countries Join New Global Offshore Wind Body. Renewable Energy News.
- Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Heading out to Sea. Cleantechnica.com.
- Environmental advocates win case alleging Pacific coast shipping routes threaten whales | Courthouse News Service. Courthousenews.com.
- BOEM Advances Review of Two Proposed Wind Projects on Atlantic Coast.
- Offshore wind farms threaten New Jersey’s shellfish industry. Should fishing communities be compensated? New Jersey fisheries could face big losses once ocean wind turbines are built off the coast. A new nine-state program could bring some relief.
- Interior Department Takes Steps to Strengthen Offshore Clean Energy Development.
- Extreme Rogue Wave in the North Pacific Confirmed as the Most Extreme on Record.
- Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee seeks nominations
Meeting Recordings
Previous Council Meeting
April Council meeting
Foster City, CA
Crowne Plaza - Foster City Hotel 1221 Chess Drive, Foster City, CA 94404 Phone: 650-570-5700
Upcoming Council Meeting
June Council meeting
Vancouver, WA
Hilton Vancouver Washington 301 W. Sixth Street Vancouver, WA 98660 USA Phone: 360-993-4500
Events
Contacts
Kerry Griffin
503-820-2409
kerry.griffin@noaa.gov