TDI-Brooks Finalizes Report for Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II
TDI-Brooks International completed the final report for Contract M17PC00009, issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [BOEM]), titled “Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II: Continued Atlantic Research and Exploration in Deepwater Ecosystems with Focus on Coral, Canyon and Seep Communities.” This report is the final deliverable of the BOEM contract called Deep SEARCH, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. Initially, the study was a five-year, collaborative scientific research program focused on the outer continental shelf between Virginia
Baker to Head BOEM's Office of Renewable Energy Programs
The United States' Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday announced Karen J. Baker will lead its Office of Renewable Energy Programs (OREP).BOEM, an agency within the Department of the Interior, manages U.S. offshore energy resources.As Chief of BOEM's OREP, Baker will oversee the development of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf through planning, stakeholder engagement, environmental analysis and technical review.“We’re very excited to add Ms. Baker to our team at such a pivotal time in offshore wind development,” said BOEM Director Amanda
US Oil Spill Testing, Response Facility Gets Major Upgrade
Test Facility, known as Ohmsett, has now reopened after undergoing significant refurbishment over the past eight months as part of BSEE’s ongoing maintenance plan. Originally constructed and operated by the U.S. EPA in 1974, the facility was passed to the U.S. Navy and then to the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service in 1990. Today, it is the only facility in the U.S. conducting full-scale oil spill response research, equipment testing and training using live oil. Because Ohmsett is a wave tank, it has also been used to test renewable energy technologies such as marine
U.S. Offshore Wind Forecast: 45 Projects, $136B CapEx
capacity permitting by the month and year when BOEM expects all permitting to be complete. Most project capacity will be fully commissioned three to four years after final permitting.Exhibit 2 U.S. Offshore Wind Capacity by BOEM Permitting Target Date Source: Intelatus Global PartnersThe Department of the Interior has confirmed that BOEM will potentially hold up to seven new offshore lease sales by 2025. The first auction consists of six New York Bight leases. Other leasing will be held for sites in the North and South Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. This sets a clear foundation for
Favorable Offshore Winds Blowing from the Biden Administration
, and expected to produce 800 MW of offshore wind and provide clean energy to 400,000 homes and businesses once it is operational in 2023. Vineyard Wind has committed to using the Port of New Bedford, MA, as its staging area.On March 8, 2021, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Department of the Interior issued the final EIS for Vineyard Wind, endorsing the preferred alternative of an east-west, north-south configuration of no more than 84 wind turbines with one nautical mile spacing between the wind platforms, which is consistent with the Coast Guard’s recommendations. (See Vineyard
US Targets 30GW of Offshore Wind by 2030, 110GW by 2050
.”Lewis, author of the recently released “2021, the Year when Offshore Wind Takes Off in the United States”, clarified that the White House Fact Sheet discusses deployment of 30GW by 2030. “This does not actually mean 30GW will be installed by 2030. Rather, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is to review 16 Construction and Operations Plans (COP) by 2025, addressing developer concerns around the federal review timetable. This equates to 19GW which can be readily forecast to be installed by 2030,” Lewis explained. “This is similar to the 9GW of projects that
Enhancing Understanding of Gulf Sediments
Galveston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior) and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to streamline and synchronize Gulf of Mexico sediment resource identification data for use in Texas coastal protection and restoration plans and projects.According to the memorandum, a framework will be developed to collect and share data and optimize engineering, economic, and environmental criteria by matching potential sediment sources with future restoration
Ocean Noise: Pile Driving Triggers Alarm Responses in Squid
look at how human-made noise can influence natural, ecologically important behaviors of these squid, and we still have much to learn about how these behavioral changes might influence squids’ interactions with predators and with other squid”.This work was funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Environmental Studies Program through Interagency Agreement Number M17PG00029 with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate
US Offshore Wind Pipeline Reach 25.8GW
these projects are on the Eastern seaboard, with one in the Great Lakes, said Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report, prepared by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.California and Hawaii have several early-stage floating offshore wind projects in the planning phase, it said.The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) auctions for three lease areas off the coast of Massachusetts brought in winning bids of $135 million—more than three times the value of previous BOEM auctions—indicating strong interest and confidence in the U.S. offshore wind
February 2024
