US Atlantic offshore wind leasing plan up for comment

U.S. ocean energy regulators have extended a deadline for public comment on a proposed path forward for offshore renewable energy leasing on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's "Proposed Path Forward for Future Offshore Renewable Energy Leasing on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf" lists factors the agency proposes to consider in identifying areas for possible future offshore wind leasing.

BOEM is an agency of the Department of the Interior, charged with advancing the responsible development of offshore energy and marine mineral resources covering over 1.7 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf. As of May 2018, BOEM has held seven competitive lease sales, yielding over $68 million in high bids for almost 1.4 million acres in federal waters. BOEM now has 13 offshore wind energy leases, capable of supporting 17 gigawatts of generating capacity, covering every state from Massachusetts to North Carolina (Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras).

On April 6, 2018, BOEM published a Request for Feedback in the Federal Register, presenting the agency's "Proposed Path Forward for Future Offshore Renewable Energy Leasing on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf." In that notice, the agency said it is conducting a high-level assessment of all waters offshore the United States Atlantic Coast for potential future offshore wind lease locations, and proposes to rely on specific factors to help it assess which geographic areas along the Atlantic are the most likely to have highest potential for successful offshore wind development in the next three to five years.

BOEM said its intent in publishing the Notice was "to start a conversation surrounding its approach to future renewable energy leasing on the Atlantic OCS." Its proposed factors for identifying offshore wind forecast areas include exclusionary factors (which create "no-go" areas for offshore wind) and positive factors (increasing the likelihood that location would fall within a forecast area). Under BOEM's proposal, exclusionary factors would include areas prohibited by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for leasing, Department of Defense conflict areas, and charted marine vessel traffic routes. Positive factors for an areas include that it has not previously been removed, is greater than 10 nautical miles from shore, is shallower than 60 meters in depth, is adjacent to states with offshore wind economic incentives or with an interest in identifying additional lease areas, or where industry has expressed interest.

Comments on BOEM's proposed path forward for offshore renewable energy leasing on the Atlantic were slated to be due on May 21, but on May 18, 2018, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that it would accept comments through July 5, 2018.

BOEM says this "Atlantic assessment is intended to inform future area identification processes, not replace them" -- so after reviewing comments it receives, BOEM will coordinate with its intergovernmental renewable energy task forces and conduct additional stakeholder outreach.

US proposes offshore oil and gas leasing expansion

The Trump administration is taking steps that could ultimately lead to a significant expansion of U.S. outer continental shelf acreage available for oil and gas leasing.

Under federal law, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is charged with administering site leasing for energy development on the outer continental shelf. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act requires the Secretary of the Interior, through BOEM, to develop a five-year national plan for oil and gas sales in federal waters. The law requires the Secretary to balance criteria including environmental impacts, energy needs and resources, and adverse effects on the coastal zone.

On January 4, 2018, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced a new Draft Proposed Program. He described its release as "an early step in a multi-year process to develop a final National OCS Program for 2019-2024," and as consistent with an April 2017 Executive Order implementing an "America-First Offshore Energy Strategy."

The Draft Proposed Program includes 47 potential lease sales -- the largest number of lease sales ever proposed for the National OCS Program’s 5-year lease schedule.  The plan includes 19 sales off Alaska, 7 in the Pacific Region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 9 in the Atlantic Region. Some of these areas have not seen leases sold in decades; for example, there have been no sales in the Atlantic since 1983 and there are no existing leases.

By contrast, the draft program includes 8 Atlantic lease sales between 2020 and 2024, covering federal waters offshore Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The Pacific leases would similarly be the first sold in that region since 1984.

According to the press release announcing the draft's release, "Inclusion of an area in the DPP is not a final indication that it will be included in the approved Program or offered in a lease sale, because many decision points still remain. By proposing to open these areas for consideration, the Secretary ensures that he will receive public input and analysis on all of the available OCS to better inform future decisions on the National OCS Program."

Even if an area is offered in a lease sale, it may not draw commercial interest; even if leased, an area might not actually be used for exploration and production. But the draft plan significantly expands the acreage that would be available for leasing -- according to the Secretary, "the current program puts 94 percent of the OCS off limits," while the proposed program "proposes to make over 90 percent of the total OCS acreage and more than 98 percent of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in federal offshore areas available to consider for future exploration and development."

BOEM has solicited public comment on the draft plan, which will inform several further rounds of proposals and comment, before a Proposed Final Program (PFP) is considered. In the meantime, until a new program is finalized and adopted, the present 2017-2022 Five Year Program remains in effect.

Atlantic offshore wind energy targeted

A report released by the National Wildlife Foundation highlights the potential of U.S. states on the Atlantic Ocean to generate electricity from offshore wind -- and calls upon state leaders to take action to promote offshore wind development.

The 24-page report, Catching the Wind: State Actions Needed to Seize the Golden Opportunity of U.S. Offshore Wind Power, describes responsibly developed offshore wind as "a golden opportunity to meet our coastal energy needs with a clean, local resource that will spur investments in local economies."  In particular, the Atlantic coast offers a high-quality wind resource in close proximity to power-thirsty coastal cities.

Key findings in the report include:

• Offshore winds off New England and New York blow consistently during periods of high electric demand, including summer heat waves and winter cold snaps.
• Federal environmental reviews are complete for over 1.5 million acres of Atlantic sea space, with over 16,000 megawatts of potential wind capacity.
• Diversifying states' energy mix with offshore wind can reduce prices and offset volatility, citing a 2014 study showing New England would save $350 million per year in reduced energy costs, or 2%, if 1,200 megawatts of offshore wind is added.
• Offshore wind reduces air pollution, including carbon emissions.
• Offshore wind development creates jobs, and can be done in an environmentally responsible manner.

The report highlights Massachusetts and Rhode Island as leading America's pursuit of offshore wind, followed by Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware, with Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia bringing up the rear.  New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Florida are noted as "states to watch" with no offshore wind planning activities.

The report calls on state leaders to:

• Set a bold goal for offshore wind in the state's energy plan.
• Take action to ensure a competitive market for offshore wind power.
• Advance power contracts for offshore wind.
• Ensure an efficient, transparent, and environmentally responsible offshore wind leasing process that protects wildlife.
• Invest in key research, initiatives, and infrastructure needed to spur offshore wind development.

Will Atlantic states develop their offshore wind resources? 

March 1, 2011 - solar ships

For millennia, humans have used renewable energy to propel ships over the oceans.  The winds that have filled the sails of hundreds of generations' most technologically advanced vessels gained their power from the Sun's radiation shining on land and sea, creating temperature differentials that in turn caused the winds to blow.  Archaeological evidence suggests that the first sailboats may have been used by the Egyptians over 6,000 years ago.  Sail technology may have arisen in multiple separate regions of the world over time, but whoever was responsible for the first sailboats clearly started something big: harnessing renewable energy to move people and cargo over the water.

Photo: winter in Northeast Harbor, Mount Desert Island, Maine.

 Sailcraft still ply the world's waters of course, though the development of commercially-viable steam engines in the 18th century significantly changed the course of ship design and technology.  Naval engineers and marine architects continue to make advances in sailcraft design, using new materials and new design tools to create faster and more efficient vessels.  At the same time, a new kind of renewable propulsion system is arising: solar-powered ships.

As you read this, the 100-foot MS Turanor PlanetSolar has crossed the Atlantic, traversed the Panama Canal, and is well under way across the Pacific in its bid to be the first solar-powered vessel to circumnavigate the globe.  Constructed by Knierim Yacht Club, in Kiel, Germany, the PlanetSolar uses 537 m² of solar PV panels to generate up to 93.5 kW of power - about 125 hp.  The solar PV panels have an efficiency of 18.8%, and are linked to six 388-volt lithium ion batteries with an aggregate storage capacity of 2910 amp-hours (Ah).  (Compare the current Toyota Prius hybrid drive battery, which has a nominal capacity of 6 Ah.)

June 1, 2010 - Update: news roundup

Baxter State Park: An Ohio hiker was rescued after being missing for two days in the Park. Michael Hays of Stow, Ohio, was spotted by helicopter. He had been immobilized by a crushed kneecap and was covered in insect bites. (No joke: this time of year, the bugs in Baxter are fierce. As is the fishing, thanks to those bugs.) After Mr. Hays failed to sign out on a trail register and his rental car was found in a parking lot, the search began. Hays had a cell phone with him, but had no reception. This was Baxter State Park's largest missing person search since the 1970s involving about 40 people, six dogs as well as Maine Forest Service aircraft. Park Director Jensen Bissell warns hikers not to rely on cell phones, and to stay on trail.

Forest fires in Quebec are affecting northern New England. More than 50 fires are burning about 100,000 acres of forest, mostly started by a May 25 thunderstorm and the dry conditions. The U.S. National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for northern Vermont and New Hampshire and all but extreme eastern Maine.

The Atlantic hurricane season has begun. NOAA predicts 23 tropical storms, 8 to 14 of which may form into hurricanes.

Site restoration for the former Cascade Woolen Mill in Oakland has been complicated by the discovery of asbestos in the ruins.