Full Title: BOEM's Office of Renewable Energy Programs Update
Author(s): Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Publisher(s): BOEM
Publication Date: December 1, 2016
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Commercial wind energy is no longer simply an aspiration for a sustainable energy future. Development of renewable energy is of critical importance to the Nation and it is now a reality onshore and offshore. The Block Island Wind Farm, located in Rhode Island waters, is now the United States’ first offshore wind facility. This project may set the stage for a long-awaited and even more expansive development of wind energy facilities on the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
Because OCS wind is an abundant source of environmentally friendly domestic energy, it is well positioned to contribute to the economic growth and energy independence of the Nation. According to an analysis conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. OCS wind resource is robust, abundant, and regionally diverse, allowing for offshore wind development that can be located near congested load centers with some of the highest electricity rates in the Nation.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) responsibility to oversee renewable energy development on the OCS by granting leases, easements, and rights-of way for such projects. The Energy Policy Act requires that BOEM ensure OCS renewable energy activities are carried out in a safe and environmentally responsible manner that provides a fair return to the United States for the use of the OCS. On April 22, 2009, BOEM published the regulatory framework to govern the OCS renewable energy program.