Posts Tagged ‘MMS’

MMS issues lease for met towers off NJ Coast

Written by Mike Pisauro on June 28th, 2009 in Federal, Ocean, Renewable Energy, Wind | No Comments »

Last week, MMS announced they would be issuing leases to the three proposed wind farm developers so that they could begin the process of installing their meteorological towers. Bluewater Wind NJ Energy, Fishermen’s Energy of New Jersey, and Deepwater Wind will all be placing met towers off the coast of NJ. These towers are a necessary first step to the eventual development of shore wind. Once the met towers are in place, they will be recording data for at least 12 months or mid to late 2010.

Back in October 2008 the State issued its Energy Master Plan. The Plan sets a goal of having 1000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2012. I have always thought that time table was very aggressive and was unlikely to occur. Assuming the developers do not begin the NEPA process at the same time as they collect the data from the met towers, that process will begin late 2010 or early 2011. The NEPA process of obtaining information, analyzing the information, etc will take a significant period of time. For example, the Cape Wind project, which began around 2001, took almost three years from the very beginning of the NEPA process to the issuance of the draft EIS. It then took another four+ for MMS to issue its final EIS on the project.

Now, a lot has changed from the time Cape Wind started their project. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed. The State of New Jersey has convened a Blue Ribbon Panel on Wind; evaluated the issues and set forth its recommendations. MMS has interim rules for renewable energy developed on the OCS. The nation as a whole has hopefully progressed towards acceptance of wind generation. (I question how far we have progressed on this score). Also, the State is in the process of doing performing their own biological studies off the coast of NJ. All of these things may help move the process along so that the planning of these projects is not a decade long process. The NJ developers will have a framework to follow that Cape Wind did not.

Hopefully, the fact that there is a legal framework in place will shorten the legal wrangling over the project. I do believe that there will be many lawsuits challenging these projects. Local, county and some legislators have expressed concern over off shore wind development. Local property owners will certainly band together to challenge these projects. There may also be an environmental group or two who may challenge the projects in Court.

In short I believe after the NEPA process has been engaged and the lawsuits resolved one or more of the proposed wind projects will go forward. What I am fairly certain of is that no project will be in the water and generating electricity by the end of 2012. The State will have to adjust their energy master plan to account for the revised time table.

Grays Harbor's application is dismissed

Written by Mike Pisauro on May 13th, 2009 in Federal, Ocean, Renewable Energy, Wave & Tidal, Wind | No Comments »

I saw a post, at RenewablesOffshore regarding the memorandum of understanding between FERC and MMS.  As I noted previously these agencies have entered into a memorandum of understanding on the handling of offshore renewable energy projects.  As a result of the MOU, FERC has dismissed Grays Harbor’s application for a preliminary permit for a wave project off the coast of Atlantic City.  I wrote about Grays Harbor’s application here.   The dismissal at least deals with the objects filed by NJ Board of Public Utilities, EPA, Interior, several of the wind energy companies, and the New Jersey Environmental Lobby.  This clears the way to an organized way to move NJ’s goals of offshore renewable energy forward.

Also, this MOU opens the way for the final MMS’ rules to be adopted to regulate the offshore renewable energy projects.

MMS releases final rule for offshore renewable energy's leasing

Written by Mike Pisauro on April 22nd, 2009 in Federal, Global Warming, Ocean, Renewable Energy, Wind | No Comments »

On Earth Day, MMS released for publication the final rule on offshore renewable energy leasing of the outer continental shelf.  The 579 rule.  You can find the rule (here) and the much much shorter press release (here).  This is good news for New Jersey.  Once the rule takes affect after 60 days, the three proposed wind farms can begin the leasing process.  Assuming the environmental impact statements show that the harm to the ocean environment is minimal or none then NJ can get just a little closer to its goal under its energy master plan.

Hopefully, I will get a chance to reveiw the final rule and I will post my thoughts.

Happy Earth Day!

FERC and MMS begin to play nice.

Written by Mike Pisauro on March 17th, 2009 in Federal, Ocean, Renewable Energy, Wave & Tidal, Wind | 1 Comment »

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Mineral Management Service (MMS) have finally decided to work together in dealing with offshore renewables.  They issued a press release announcing that they have agreed to work together in permitting offshore renewables. Up till now there was a dispute as to which agency had jurisdiciton over the permitting of wave and tidal projects in Federal waters.  I have been meaning to write about the dispute and how it was going to work against progress but had not gotten around to it.  Instead Carolyn Elefant has a discussion of the issue on her blog, Offshore Renewable Energy Blog.

The press release seems to indicate that FERC will have jurisdiction over wave and tidal projects and MMS will have jurisdiction over wind projects in federal waters.  We will have to wait to see how the Memorandum of Understanding sets out how this is going to work.  For example, while FERC will be issuing permits for wave and tidal projects does the applicant have to also get a lease from MMS?  What happens if they have the permits but cannot get the lease?  What happens when a permit application goes in for a wave project in the same area as where developers are seeking leases from MMS for wind projects?   That is exactly what is happening with Grays Harbour proposed site is overlayed with Blue Water Wind and one other (i think Deepwater Wind) sites.

If the Country is interested in developing renewable energy than these kinds of conflicts really need to be worked out ahead of time not as they develop.  Back in 2004 the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy recommended that these issues be dealth with ahead of time and that the jursidicational disputes be clarified with a National Ocean Council.  We will see if the FERC and MMS compromise provides a workable framwork.

MMS issues draft rules for offshore renewable energy facilities

Written by Mike Pisauro on July 9th, 2008 in Ocean, Renewable Energy | No Comments »

New Jersey undertook a blue ribbon panel process from 2004 to May 2006 to examine the issues surrounding the wind farms off the coast of New Jersey. The panel proposed a limited test pilot program of not more than 350 megawatts of energy. The State then went forward and put out to bid a request for proposals for the test program. Five entities have bid on that request. Simultaneousto that bidding process, DEP has set up a baseline study of the habitat in the possible pilot areas from the coast outwards for 20 nautical miles.

The pilot wind farm is anywhere from 3 miles off the coast to 16 or more miles of the coast of New Jersey. Anything outside of three miles becomes the jurisdiction of the federal government. Right now there are no rules setting for the standards and procedures for obtaining the leases and permits necessary for an off-shore wind facility. Over two years after the proposed regulations were due under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, MMS has proposed the regulations. Carolyn Elefant wrote about the 462 page proposal on her blog: RenewablesOffshore (here) and gave a brief overview of the proposal. These rules will be vital to the ability of any of the five bidders to actually implement the pilot program. Also, as the State’s energy master plan’s goal of 1000 mw of off-shore wind generation.
I hope to give them a read myself and hopefully will provide more details in a later post.