Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) of the United States has published a guide on its renewable energy authority designed to help public better understand and engage in the process.
The ‘Citizen’s Guide to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Renewable Energy Authorization Process’ outlines BOEM’s process for overseeing renewable energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and highlights public participation opportunities.
BOEM said the guide was developed in response to the increased interest in the development of marine energy projects using wind, wave, and ocean current technologies in the United States.
It provides explanations for types of leases and grants for renewable energy projects BOEM oversees, requierd plans for renewable energy activities, as well as several charts that describe the various renewable energy authorization processes for OCS project proposals.
The OCS refers to the 1.7 billion acres of Federal submerged lands, subsoil, and seabed beginning three nautical miles off the coastline for most US states, and extending to the edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
BOEM is responsible for managing the development of US offshore energy resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.