Public Meeting on Offshore Wind Energy

Offshore wind turbine.\Photo courtesy of BOEM.

The Oregon Department of Energy is holding public meetings to introduce and discuss its Floating Offshore Wind Study.  The first such event takes place on Thursday, March 10, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There is a serious possibility that offshore wind energy facilities, based on floating structures in federal waters, will be coming to Oregon’s nearshore ocean.  The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has been studying wind resources off our shores, and is getting ready to announce “call areas” in which would-be wind developers can bid for permits to begin more detailed studies.  There are several additional phases, during which the public will have an opportunity to comment on the environmental impacts of specific proposals, but there is strong momentum toward wind energy development.  Wind energy is a renewable resource and a potential means of abating climate change due to fossil fuels, but it also poses threats to marine species and habitats, and also to estuaries where industrial facilities for constructing and transporting wind towers would be located.

The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) interfaces with BOEM on behalf of the state.  ODOE has been conducting a study of what floating offshore wind development would mean for Oregon.  To learn more about this study, see the department’s website. Near the bottom of that webpage you will find more information about both meetings, including links to the meeting agendas, links to join the webinar, the passwords that are needed to join, and related documents like presentation slides and previously received public comments. You will need to use the WebEx meeting software to attend; you can do this by downloading the software or just by using your web browser, but you will need a free WebEx account to do so. You can also simply join by phone using the information provided. For more information, contact ODOE’s Jason Sierman.