Development of Gray Whale Protection Device
Project Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
|
 Call for Abstracts Submit by Jan. 31, 2011Learn More8th Annual Conference June 14-16 2011 Portland, Maine
|
|
Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference IV
|
Public Comment
Opportunities
|
|
New Rule to Integrate Variable Energy Resources
Submit Comments to FERC via eFiling
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
FERC News Release
|
|
Renewable Energy Leasing Rule Change
Submit comments by
December 27, 2010
Federal Register Notice
|
|
Greetings! Over 100 stakeholders responded to the Options to Address Key Data Gaps survey, and Pacific Energy Ventures (PEV) will release a Summary Report highlighting the results in the next few weeks. Also, PEV and the Marine Mammal Institute at OSU have completed the permitting phase of the Gray Whale Protection Device project, paving the way for device deployment in early 2011. With announcements from multiple Federal agencies calling for regulatory revisions and industry advancement initiatives, ocean renewable energy activities remain in full swing as we move into the holiday season. The industry is poised to ride this momentum into the New Year, and we look forward to more advances in 2011!
Steve & Justin
 Steven Kopf, Partner skopf@peventuresllc.com
|
|
|
Permits Secured for Gray Whale Study
In coordination with PEV, the Marine Mammal Institute at OSU has secured all the necessary permits for the Gray Whale Protection Device study, which are now posted on the project website. The Oregon Department of State Lands issued a Short-Term Access Agreement, and the OSU Office of Research Integrity issued an Animal Welfare Act approval. On the federal level, the project has received authorizations from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. With permits in place, the acoustic system is set to be deployed in the next few weeks. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the purpose of this project is to determine the effectiveness of an acoustic device in deflecting gray whales around ocean energy renewable systems to protect them from collision or entanglement. Learn More
|
 Coastal & Marine Spatial Planning Updates
sponsored by: |
|
WCGA Submits Proposals to NOAA for Regional Ocean Partnership Funding
After engaging with stakeholders to develop a coordinated proposal for NOAA's Regional Ocean Partnership (ROP) funding opportunity, the West Coast Governors' Agreement on Ocean Health (WCGA) submitted two proposals, which are now posted on the WCGA website. The Focus Area 1 proposal, totaling $4,000,000, is for an integrated suite of projects collectively geared towards Achieving Sustainable Coastal Communities by Advancing Regional Ocean Priorities and Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning on the West Coast. The Focus Area 2 proposal, totaling $495,000, is for Administration of the West Coast Regional Ocean Partnership. After hearing if and how much the WCGA will receive from the funding program, they will solicit request for proposals to give stakeholders an opportunity to collaborate in further detail on how the west coast region will achieve the outcomes in the cooperating agreement with NOAA.
|
Options to Address Data Gaps: Survey Complete
Over 100 stakeholders responded to the Options to Address Key Data Gaps survey, and Pacific Energy Ventures (PEV) will soon release a Summary Report highlighting the results. Detailed survey results will also be integrated into the West Coast Wave Energy Framework. This effort is intended to help focus future research efforts in a manner that makes the most effective use of available resources.
|
|
Socioeconomic Resources & Wave Energy
With funding from the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, PEV is preparing to develop the Socioeconomic Effects portion of the WCWE Framework, which will include identifying and characterizing socioeconomic resources that could be effected by wave energy development. Like the Environmental Effects portion of the framework, this effort will also involve significant stakeholder engagement. PEV plans to initiate the project in early 2011. Sign up here if you are interested in participating.
|
|
 Oregon Global Warming Commission Approves Roadmap to 2020
On October 28, 2010, the Oregon Global Warming Commission unanimously approved the Roadmap to 2020, which provides recommendations for how the state can meet its short and long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals and build a prosperous, clean-energy-based economy. PEV facilitated the development of the recommendations by six technical subcommittees drawn from business, academia, non-governmental organizations, local government and state agency staff. The recommendations will now be shared with the Governor, the Legislature, Congressional delegation, local governments, businesses and Oregonians generally, and the Commission anticipates seeking broad public review of the recommendations in early 2011.
|
|
Regulatory Revisions to Support Offshore Renewables
On the heels of an unprecedented interagency effort to support ocean renewable energy with jointly funded awards, three federal agencies recently announce proposed revisions to federal regulations to support offshore renewable energy development.
Integrating Variable Energy Resources into the Grid The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has proposed a new rule to help integrate variable energy resources into the nation's power grid, which could ultimately help reduce the cost of energy for renewables. The rule calls for shorter scheduling intervals, more detailed forecasting and a cost recovery mechanism for transmission providers.
Nationwide Permit for Small MHK The Corps of Engineers is working on a draft proposal to establish a new Nationwide Permit to authorize dredge/fill activities for small-scale hydrokinetic facilities. Essentially, this would decrease the process time for Section 404 permits for small-scale projects, aligning it with other streamlined authorizations, such as the FERC Pilot License process.
Simplifying Renewable Energy Leasing The Department of Interior (DOI) has proposed a rule revision that could decrease the process time for noncompetitive renewable energy leases by 6 - 12 months. Under the proposed change, if only one qualified developer responds to a Request for Interest (RFI), a second RFI would not have to be issued to confirm that no competitive interest exists.
|
Initiative to Support Offshore Wind, Ocean Renewables
On November 23, Interior Secretary Salazar announced a new program geared towards expediting offshore wind development along the Atlantic Coast. The focus is on offshore wind, but the initiative called Smart from the Start will likely benefit the offshore renewable energy. industry at large. The proposed rule change to simplify the renewable energy leasing process is part of the program, as well as an effort to expedite offshore transmission line siting to enable ocean renewable energy facilities to move power to shore. In addition, BOEMRE and Atlantic states will identify and prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on Wind Energy Areas, and then assemble the information and analysis from the EA into a publicly accessible format so that it can be used to inform renewable energy lease sales in the WEAs.
|
|
|
|
|
