MMS
Alternative Energy Information Needs
The
Minerals Management Service
(MMS) held their Workshop to Identify Alternative Energy Environmental
Information Needs on June 26-28 in Herndon, Virginia. Participants included
representatives from Federal and State agencies, academia, foreign
countries, industry and other stakeholders.
With the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the MMS
assumed regulatory responsibilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for
activities that produce or support the production, transportation, or
transmission of energy from sources other than oil and gas (i.e. alternative
energy). Potential impacts on the human and marine environments must be
evaluated in order for MMS to make environmentally sound decisions when
authorizing alternative energy activities on the OCS. MMS funded a synthesis
and analysis report that reviewed existing data on environmental effects of
alternative energy uses and identified information needs, entitled Worldwide
Synthesis and Analysis of Existing Information Regarding Environmental
Effects of Alternative Energy Uses on the Outer Continental Shelf (Michel et
al., 2007). This report provided the basis for a workshop, attended by
experts in the field, to identify data needs and to outline potential
studies for the MMS Environmental Studies Program and its partners.
This workshop was an important step for the MMS in
communicating and developing a collaborative relationship with other Federal
agencies, affected State and local groups, and industry. Members of groups
with knowledge about existing offshore alternative energy development (i.e.,
academia or representatives from countries or states where development is
already occurring,) were invited to share their expertise.
The intent of the workshop was to:
- Gather and initiate a
dialog among representatives from within the MMS, other Federal agencies,
States where development is most likely to occur, the alternative energy
industry, and academics and foreign experts in the field.
- Evaluate the body of
information currently available.
- Identify data and
knowledge needs in the information available about the human and marine
environments with respect to top alternative energy issues.
- Develop a list of
potential environmental studies to fill those identified gaps.
- Discuss development of
partnerships for information sharing and financial collaboration.
Related Links:
Worldwide Synthesis and Analysis of Existing Information Regarding
Environmental Effects of Alternative Energy on the Outer Continental Shelf
