Offshore Wind
History
editThe first offshore wind project in the U.S. was proposed in 2001 by Cape Wind. The United States Army Corps assumed the lead federal regulatory role under the River and Harbors Act, and issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 2004. In 2004, the Department of Energy (DOE) produced “A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States.’’ The report explored the potential and feasibility for installing wind turbines off the Mid Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, and in the Great Lakes. The framework also discusses in great detail the major challenges that would lie ahead such as technology development, environmental compatibility, economic financial viability, regulation and government policies, and leadership coordination.
Following the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), previously known as the Minerals Management Service (MMS), assumed lead federal responsibility and initiated its own independent environmental review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While the DOE focused on onshore wind development, several coastal states launched significant initiatives to attract, incentivize, and plan for wind development offshore. In 2009, the U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative (USOWC) released the paper “U.S. Offshore Wind Energy: A Path Forward.” This document presents a snapshot of U.S. offshore wind energy and serves as a resource for government, industry, and non-governmental stakeholders. The USOWC became an official independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
On October 6, 2010 the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Cape Wind Associates President Jim Gordon signed the nation’s first lease for commercial wind energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). On February 7, 2011, Energy Secretary Chu announced A National Offshore Wind Strategy. The strategy comes with $50 million of funding to be dispersed to technology development, removing market barriers, and next generation drivetrain. The new strategy will pursue offshore opportunities in both federal and state waters.