The NewsRoom
Date: April 22, 2009
President Obama, Secretary Salazar
Announce Framework
for Renewable Energy
Development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Today, in an Earth Day speech at a wind turbine tower manufacturing
plant, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of the
Interior has finalized a long-awaited framework for renewable energy
production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The framework
establishes a program to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way
for orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible renewable energy
development activities, such as the siting and construction of
off-shore wind farms, on the OCS.
“It is fitting that on Earth
Day President Obama is taking this bold step toward opening America’s
oceans and new energy frontier, so that we can wisely build a clean
energy economy that will create millions of new jobs across the
country,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “This new
framework will enhance our energy security and create the foundation
for a new offshore energy sector that will employ Americans developing
clean and renewable energy.”
In addition to establishing
a process for granting leases, easements, and rights-of-way for
offshore renewable energy development, the new program also
establishes methods for sharing revenues generated from OCS renewable
energy projects with adjacent coastal States. Additionally the
framework will enhance partnerships with Federal, state, and local
agencies and tribal governments to assist in maximizing the economic
and ecological benefits of OCS renewable energy development. The
Final Framework has been submitted to the Federal Register, and
is available
online.
The Energy Policy Act of
2005 granted the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service
(MMS) the authority to regulate renewable energy development on the
OCS, but no action had been taken under that authority until today.
Since taking office, Secretary Salazar has made it a priority to
finalize the rules that will govern offshore renewable energy
development, given the enormity of this clean, renewable energy source
and its proximity to major population centers. A number of other
countries already are tapping significant energy from offshore winds.
The Interior Department and
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) cleared the way for
the publication of these final rules by
signing an agreement on April 9, 2009 that clarifies their agencies’ jurisdictional
responsibilities for leasing and licensing renewable energy projects
on the OCS.
Under the agreement, the MMS
has exclusive jurisdiction with regard to the production,
transportation, or transmission of energy from non-hydrokinetic
renewable energy projects, including wind and solar. FERC will have
exclusive jurisdiction to issue licenses for the construction and
operation of hydrokinetic projects, including wave and current, but
companies will be required to first obtain a lease through MMS.
The proposed wind farm off
Nantucket Sound, known as Cape Wind, has been undergoing review
independently of the rule making process, and no decision is being
made on the project at this time. If approved, it will be subject to
the terms of the final framework announced today.
The Interior Department’s
Minerals Management Service is responsible for the management of the
more than 1.7 billion acres of submerged lands on the OCS, to include
mineral resource and renewable energy development.
Relevant Information
(all PDF)
•
Energy Policy Act of 2005
•
OCS Renewable Energy Program Framework
•
FERC/DOI Memorandum of Understanding
Contact:
Frank
Quimby (202) 208-6416
Nicholas Pardi
(202) 208-7746
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
|
Privacy |
Disclaimers |
Accessibility |
Inspector General | FOIA
|
Last Updated:
05/08/2009,
09:58 AM
Central Time
|