Regulatory Development, Policy and Guidelines
Federal Register Notices and other relevant regulatory documents related to the national OCS Renewable Energy Program, including the Cape Wind Project, are provided at the links below.
Additional Federal Register Notices related to BOEM Offshore initiatives are available on the BOEM Offshore Federal Register Notice web site.
Guidelines to Lessees, Operators and Applicants
BOEM has developed the following guidelines for renewable energy activities on the OCS. These informal documents are intended to provide lessees, operators and developers with the following:
- additional information, clarification, description, or interpretation of a regulation, OCS standard or regional requirement;
- a better understanding of the scope and meaning of a regulation by explaining BOEM interpretation of a requirement;
- guidelines on the implementation of a special lease stipulation or regional requirement; or
- updated administrative information such as current telephone listings and a change in BOEM personnel or office address.
- BOEM / FERC Guidelines on Regulation of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Projects on the OCS (Version 2, July 19, 2012)
- What renewable energy activities on the OCS require authorization? (11-27-2009)
- Guidelines for the Minerals Management Service Renewable Energy Framework (07-2009) NOTE: This document is being updated to remove the guidelines specific to marine hydrokinetic development, as these guidelines have been updated and are now provided separately.
- Filing Addresses for Renewable Energy Lease and Grant Requests (11-01-2010)
- Guidelines for Information Requirements for a Renewable Energy Construction and Operations Plan (COP) (12-17-2010)
- Guidelines for Providing Geological and Geophysical, Hazards, and Archaeological Information Pursuant to 30 CFR Part 285 (04-21-2011)
- Qualification Guidelines to Acquire and Hold Renewable Energy Leases and Grants and Alternate Use Grants on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (09-12-2012 revised)
- Notices to Lessees clarify, describe, or interpret OCS regulations or standards.
Interim Policy
Administrative Forms
The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), formerly Minerals Management Service (MMS), prepared a final PEIS in support of the establishment of its program for authorizing alternative energy and alternate use (AEAU) activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), as authorized by Section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), and codified in subsection 8(p) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The final PEIS examines the potential environmental effects of the program on the OCS and identifies policies and best management practices that may be adopted for the program. Under the program, BOEM has jurisdiction over AEAU projects on the OCS including, but not limited to: offshore wind energy, wave energy, ocean current energy, offshore solar energy, and hydrogen generation. BOEM will also have jurisdiction over other projects that make alternate use of existing oil and natural gas platforms in Federal waters on the OCS.
Rules Development
BOEM Leasing Procedures