Oregon鈥檚 coast is inching closer to generating renewable electricity using floating offshore wind turbines, though any construction is still years away.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Interior鈥檚 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, announced it has finalized an from issuing leases to develop floating offshore wind in the region. BOEM is the federal agency tasked with identifying, proposing and leasing the ocean areas.
But residents and fishery groups say their requests to pause and delay these leases are falling on deaf ears. That has led one Southern Oregon county to ask voters to decide whether to actively oppose development in November.
In February, BOEM proposed two locations off the coast of Coos Bay and Brookings, totaling nearly 195,000 acres of potential wind development.
Shortly after, BOEM announced it was, but first needed to finalize the environmental assessment.
The agency has concluded, after a, that issuing leases in mid-October will have 鈥渘o significant impacts to people or the environment.鈥�
The assessment only reviews the process of issuing a lease. It does not allow construction, and does not assess environmental impacts of developing offshore wind projects.
鈥淏OEM relies on the best available science and information for our decision-making regarding offshore wind activities,鈥� BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said in a statement.
The agency said it worked with state government officials, community members and tribes to gather input on how to shape its environmental analysis and is committed to ensuring any offshore wind development in 鈥淥regon is done in a way that avoids, reduces, or mitigates potential impacts to ocean users and the marine environment.鈥�
Offshore wind leases will give developers the right to submit proposals for BOEM to review, the agency said. And that will trigger a new environmental impact statement.
As the demand for more renewable energy increases nationwide, there is pressure to utilize ocean winds to generate more power and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. BOEM estimates Oregon鈥檚 coast could have the potential to power more than one million homes with wind energy.
But the push for floating offshore wind has driven residents, commercial fishing groups and tribes in the region to call on federal regulators to halt the leasing of the areas until there is a better understanding of environmental and cultural impacts.
Last week, put a non-binding question on the November ballot asking voters whether the commissioners should oppose floating offshore wind development.
Though the vote would not have any weight on BOEM鈥檚 decision to lease the areas, it could be symbolic, said Heather Mann, executive director of Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, a commercial fishing trade association.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e desperate to say, 鈥楲ook, nobody鈥檚 listening and we have a responsibility to our communities, to our coastal economies, to our constituents and they are telling us no one鈥檚 listening to us,鈥欌�� she said.
Mann, who worked with an informal group to develop a state roadmap defining standards for offshore wind energy, said BOEM continues to rush the process. The fishing industry and others have called for a halt numerous times. She said people have sent in hundreds of comments asking for
鈥淲e鈥檙e moving to a place now where we are considering coming out and just saying no to offshore wind rather than being willing to work through a process, because that process is stalled,鈥� she said. 鈥淏OEM is moving forward regardless, and we feel that our livelihoods, but also the ocean, is imperiled from this type of activity. So I think people are outraged at the speed with which this is moving.鈥�
She said a full stop would allow for the remapping of the entire Oregon Coast and a look at ocean depths deeper than 1,300 meters. Mann said there is much less fishing activity beyond that point and less disruption to current activities.
鈥淚f that were to happen, we would be willing to stand down and participate in that process,鈥� she said.
But Mann cautioned if BOEM does not slow down, Oregon could see the same potential impacts New England is experiencing now 鈥� such as a July 13 . Federal and state officials are currently.
鈥淚t鈥檚 mind boggling that people aren鈥檛 saying hold on a minute after what just happened, we need to slow down, not speed up this process,鈥� she said.
BOEM said it is preparing a final sale notice and inviting qualified participants for a lease auction of the proposed areas in mid-October.
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