Bureau of Ocean Energy Management March 24, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The purpose of this public notice is to: (1) Describe the proposal submitted to BOEM by the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Oregon State University (NNMREC-OSU) to acquire an OCS lease for MHK research activities; (2) solicit submissions of indications of interest in obtaining a renewable energy lease for MHK research or commercial activities on the OCS offshore Oregon in the area described in this notice; and (3) solicit public input regarding the area described in this notice, the potential environmental consequences of MHK energy development in the area, and multiple uses of the area. On June 17, 2013, BOEM received an unsolicited request from NNMREC- OSU for an MHK OCS research lease offshore Oregon. The objective of NNMREC-OSU is to obtain a lease under 30 CFR 585.238 for renewable energy research activities, including MHK device installation and operational testing and the installation of monitoring equipment. The purpose of NNMREC-OSU's proposed project, the ``Pacific Marine Energy CenterSouth Energy Test Site,'' is to design, develop and demonstrate a grid-connected MHK research facility on the OCS approximately five nautical miles (nmi) southwest of Newport, Oregon. The project would consist of four test sites (or berths), with each test berth capable of testing single or multiple MHK devices and equipped with its own subsea cable to transmit energy, as well as performance and environmental data, from the test berth to an onshore control center. Each of the test berth electrical cables would connect at a single submerged point, with a single transmission export cable capable of transmitting up to 10 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the mainland. The export cable would cross the OCS and state submerged lands. Additional information on NNMREC-OSU's unsolicited lease request can be viewed at: www.boem.gov/Oregon. This RFCI is published pursuant to subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, as amended by section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)), and the implementing regulations at 30 CFR 585.238. Subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act requires that OCS renewable energy leases, easements and rights-of-way be issued ``on a competitive basis unless the Secretary determines after public notice of a proposed lease, easement, or right-of-way that there is no competitive interest.'' 30 CFR 585.238(c) states that BOEM may issue research leases if ``no competitive interest exists''. This RFCI provides such public notice for the proposed lease area requested by NNMREC-OSU and invites the submission of indications of interest. BOEM is soliciting submissions of interest for MHK energy development only with this notice. BOEM will consider the responses to this public notice to determine whether competitive interest exists for the area requested by NNMREC-OSU, as required by 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3). Parties wishing to obtain a lease for MHK development for the area described herein under ``Description of the Proposed Lease Area'' should submit detailed and specific information as described in the section entitled, ``Required Indication of Interest Information.'' BOEM has jurisdiction to issue leases on the OCS for MHK projects under subsection 8(p) of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 13376(p)), and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has jurisdiction to issue licenses under Part I of the Federal Power Act (FPA), 16 U.S.C. 792-823A (2006) for the construction and operation of hydrokinetic projects on the OCS. This announcement also requests that interested and affected parties comment and provide information about site conditions and multiple uses within the area identified in this notice that would be relevant to the proposed project or its potential impacts. A detailed description of the proposed lease area can be found in the section of this notice entitled, ``Description of the Area.''