Office of the Secretary
Contact: Shane Wolfe, 202-208-6416
Date: November 5, 2007
The Interior Department Releases
Alternative Energy Environmental Impact Statement and Announces
Offshore Alternative Energy Initiative
MMS Requests Information and
Nominations of Areas for Alternative Energy Leases
WASHINGTON – The Secretary of the Interior
today released the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
(FPEIS) for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Alternative Energy and
Alternate Use (AEAU) Program and announced an interim policy for
authorization of the installation of offshore data collection and
technology testing facilities in federal waters. A Notice of
Availability of the AEAU FPEIS and a
Request for Information and
Nominations related to the interim policy are available in today's
Federal Register reading room.
“Offshore Alternative Energy is a new and highly
anticipated frontier for the nation, as well as a new regulatory
program for the Department of the Interior and the Minerals Management
Service,” Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said. “This is an important step
in fostering a new industry offshore that will diversify our Nation’s
power supplies and open up new avenues to supply renewable energy to
areas that may otherwise have limited options onshore.”
The final programmatic EIS examines the potential
environmental effects of the program on the OCS over the next 5-7
years and identifies policies and best management practices that may
be adopted for the program. It assesses potential impacts from
development, operation, and decommissioning of alternative energy or
alternate use facilities and identifies key issues and mitigation
measures that should be considered by subsequent site-specific
reviews.
MMS issued a Notice of Intent to prepare the PEIS in
May 2006, held scoping meetings in Spring 2006, issued a draft PEIS
for comment in March 2007, held public hearings in Spring 2007, filed
the final PEIS with the Environmental Protection Agency on November 2,
2007, and plans to issue a Record of Decision by the end of 2007.
The EIS is available at MMS’s EIS website at:
http://www.ocsenergy.anl.gov/.
A single printed or CD-ROM copy of the final programmatic EIS may also
be obtained from:
Minerals Management Service
Environmental Assessment Branch (MS 4042)
381 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170.
MMS is also announcing the establishment of an
interim policy on Offshore Alternative Energy Resource Assessment and
Technology Testing Activities. MMS will be accepting public comments
and project nominations for the next 60 days related to the approval
of meteorological or marine data collection facilities on the OCS that
will be used to assess alternative energy resources (e.g., wind, wave,
and ocean current) or test alternative energy technology.
After the 60-day period, MMS will begin the process
of evaluating nominated areas of the OCS for leasing for data
collection and testing technology under this interim policy. MMS will
continue to accept nominations under this interim policy until the
final program regulations are in place.
“There’s a lot of interest in the program,” said
Kempthorne. “Many stakeholders -- individuals, governmental, and
nongovernmental organizations as well -- have recommended to MMS that
we be expeditious in authorizing OCS alternative energy resource
assessment activities. Expediting our resource data acquisition and
technology testing results will benefit stakeholders through expanded
knowledge of this developing energy frontier. It will also help to
inform future decision-making with respect to the program.”
In an effort to assist the nomination process a
forthcoming prototype web mapping viewer is being developed and is
anticipated to be operational in mid-November 2007.
This web mapping server will display specific features in areas, such
as boundaries, fairways, etc.
MMS will accept comments and nominations through
January 7, 2008 electronically through the
MMS Public Connect online
commenting system, or by mail to:
Minerals Management Service
Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Team (MS 4080)
381 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170
The interim policy will be in effect until MMS
issues final rules for the AEAU program, which will regulate all
program activities from that point forward. Under this interim policy
the MMS may issue limited-term leases authorizing data collection and
technology testing subject to compliance with relevant Federal
statutes. Requestors must also obtain necessary approvals for the
construction and placement of associated structures on the OCS lease
area. Such leases will confer no priority rights to subsequently
develop an alternative energy facility on the OCS for generating
electricity or other produced energy for commercial sale or
distribution. MMS is developing a lease form to be issued for public
comment at a later date.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized MMS to
establish the 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.
MMS is currently developing the AEAU program and
associated regulations. MMS issued an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking in December 2005 and plans to publish a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking for the program in Spring of 2008.
MMS intends to prepare a separate National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, tiered from the programmatic
EIS, to evaluate the environmental impacts of the proposed regulatory
framework for alternative energy and alternate use activities on the
OCS.
Relevant Web Sites:
· MMS Internet Website
·
DOI Website
· OCS
Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Programmatic EIS Information
Center
·
MMS Public Connect Online
Commenting System
· Federal Register Notice:
Request for Information and
Nominations of Areas for Leases Authorizing
Alternative Energy Resource
Assessment and Technology Testing Activities Pursuant to Subsection 8(p)
of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as Amended
·
Secretary
Kempthorne Details New Frontier for Offshore Alternative Energy
Development
Media Contacts:
Nicolette Nye
703-787-1011
Gary
Strasburg
202-208-3985
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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