MMS Now Open for Business. Let the Offshore Wind Lease Sales Begin!

by: Eileen

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 16:28:10 PM EDT

First up to bat will be New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island who already each have a developer in hand. Virginia will take the more conservative approach, hoping that all the early Guinea pigs work out all the kinks before they file. But I do predict Virginia to be fourth in line. Very exciting stuff!

Here's press on NJ, DE and RI efforts:

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Jan. 12 (UPI):
Rhode Island may have first offshore wind

"Rhode Island lawmakers recently signed an agreement to develop an offshore wind farm.

The agreement took months to negotiate, and now Deepwater Wind and the state will be able to build an offshore wind farm, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri told the Providence Business News.

The wind farm will include 100 turbines with the capacity to generate 1.3 million megawatt-hours of electricity per year. That is estimated to be enough to provide 15 percent of Rhode Island's electricity demand."

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The Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2008:
N.J. Awards Grant for First Offshore Wind Project

New Jersey regulators Friday selected Garden State Offshore Energy to develop the state's first offshore wind farm, in a move to spark development of a clean power source that has met resistance in other states.

Garden State Offshore Energy, a joint venture between a unit of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. and wind-power developer Deepwater Wind, was selected by the state Board of Public Utilities from five firms vying for state support and a grant of up to $19 million. The state program provides aid for up to 350 megawatts, or enough continuous power for about 125,000 homes.

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Associated Press, Tues., Sept. 9, 2008
Delaware leads race to build offshore wind farm
State clears hurdles, hopes to have construction completed by 2012

WASHINGTON - Visitors to Rehoboth Beach, Del., soon may be greeted by more than sand dunes, seagulls and beach umbrellas. If offshore wind advocates have their way, scores of 140-foot blades will be spinning in the ocean breeze nearly a dozen miles away, barely visible to the sunbathers.

Click here for your application, Virginia. ;)

Virginia's Coasts Deserve More Than Wild Speculation

by: Eileen

Wed Mar 11, 2009 at 22:30:06 PM EDT

The coast of Virginia is now at a point in the offshore drilling program where a recent "Call for Information" (deadline was Jan. 13, 2009) has asked for "particular environmental, biological, archaeological, socioeconomic, and geological conditions or potential conflicts, or other information that might bear upon the potential leasing, exploration, and development of the program area and vicinity."  The requested information was solicited for the Virginia waters located strictly within the initial 2.9 million acres comprising the federal Lease Sale 220 area, but Interior did not ask what Virginians think about a second followup offshore drilling plan only three miles from shore, now scheduled for 2014.  

It is this additional expanded drilling plan for which the Interior Secretary has just announced an entirely reasonable 180-day extension of the public comment period as it encompasses waters much closer to shore.  "To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information, we need to set aside 'the plan' and create our own timeline," Salazar announced.  "Our available data is very old and incomplete," he told reporters. "We shouldn't make decisions on America's treasures based on old information."

Governor Kaine simply calls for the temporary postponement of Virginia Lease Sale 220. "This Lease Sale is the only one currently proposed anywhere along the Atlantic seaboard," he writes.  "I believe that no lease sale should be conducted in the Atlantic until the process that you have outlined for the 5 Year Program [2010-2015] is complete."

Including Virginia in the same process used to study all other Atlantic offshore drilling, and to incorporate adequate information about other offshore areas of Virginia, makes sense.  Certainly, if MMS doesn't have enough information and studies to safely conduct any other lease sales in our region, they certainly do not know enough to conduct the FIRST lease sale, Virginia's Lease Sale 220, which goes on the auction block as early as 2011.

Kaine Letter to Salazar Requests Virginia Lease Sale 220 Postponement

by: Eileen

Mon Feb 23, 2009 at 18:52:10 PM EST

It was actually under Gov. Mark Warner's administration that MMS was prompted by the infamous "Drilling Duo" to put Virginia in the 2007-2012 Five year plan.  That action came mere months after both houses of the Virginia General Assembly passed (Feb. 2005) a Wagner bill (SB1054 Natural gas exploration, off-shore; exemption to existing moratorium.)  Gov. Warner vetoed that bill (April 2005), but regardless, come Feb. 2006 we get the big announcement that Virginia has been put in the 5 Year plan. The train was already out of the station by the time Gov. Kaine signed Virginia's Energy Plan, which contains the exploration for natural gas only language, which he has repeatedly had to reiterate and reinforce with the Feds.

But it is a new day, new year, new administration. This time Gov. Kaine will be listened to.  

In a letter dated Feb. 19, 2009, Kaine calls for the postponement of Virginia Lease Sale 220. "This Lease Sale is the only one currently proposed anywhere along the Atlantic seaboard," he writes.

"I believe that no lease sale should be conducted in the Atlantic until the process that you have outlined for the 5 Year Program [2010-2015] is complete."

Including Virginia in the same process used to study all other Atlantic offshore drilling, to include other offshore areas of Virginia, makes sense. Certainly, if MMS doesn't have enough information and studies to safely conduct any other lease sales in our area, they certainly does not know enough to conduct the FIRST lease sale.

Sen. Frank Wagner will be testifying tomorrow (Tues.) in a hearing before Chairman Nick Rahall's House Natural Resources Committee. This time, hopefully, Wagner won't again "misrepresent" the truth before Congress as he did in his congressional testimony in June 2007 where he spread the following "mistruths":

Mistruth #1: "Keeping Virginia in the five year program is consistent with the desire of the Virginia General Assembly".
Mistruth #2: "Virginia has adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards" (said in an attempt to trump Virginia's supposedly comprehensive energy plan and it's plans to include offshore oil and gas in those supposed plans).

The contact phone for this House Committee is (202) 225-6065. Available here is a live webcast of committee hearings. Check out Wagner tomorrow starting at 10am.