Yesterday in a press release, the department of energy announced that the Obama Administration joined with the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will streamline the efficient and responsible development of offshore wind resources in the Great Lakes.
The memorandum of understanding is intended to streamline the process for developers to get approvals for wind turbine projects located on the waters of the Great Lakes.
"The Great Lakes have the potential to provide clean energy from offshore wind and related green jobs in upstate New York,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a news release. “This MOU offers a responsible mechanism for enhanced and efficient collaboration among federal, state and local interests in evaluating processes and proposals for development of this resource."
The agreement states all sides are intent on promoting "expeditious, orderly and responsible review" of wind turbine applications for the Great Lakes. It calls for participants to come together to develop a report addressing "the regulatory challenges" involving wind turbine siting and to create a "regulatory roadmap" for wind development.
Any final agreements would not be binding or subject New York to any legal obligations, state officials said. Local governments would retain approval rights.
The agreement is similar to a wind promotion effort by the federal government and states along the Atlantic coast. The deal also was signed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency and 9 other federal agencies.
Text from document
This MOU neither expands nor limits those powers and authorities vested in the Participants by applicable law or regulation, including preliminary and final action on leases, permits, licenses, or any other matter requiring official decision, and nothing in this MOU should be interpreted to preempt, abridge or supersede the rights of each State to manage the respective submerged lands within the boundaries of each State in accordance with the laws, directives and policies of each State. If a section or term of this MOU is inconsistent with the authority or legal responsibilities of the Participants, that section or term shall be invalid, but the remaining sections and terms of this MOU shall remain in full force and effect.
Text from document
This MOU neither expands nor limits those powers and authorities vested in the Participants by applicable law or regulation, including preliminary and final action on leases, permits, licenses, or any other matter requiring official decision, and nothing in this MOU should be interpreted to preempt, abridge or supersede the rights of each State to manage the respective submerged lands within the boundaries of each State in accordance with the laws, directives and policies of each State. If a section or term of this MOU is inconsistent with the authority or legal responsibilities of the Participants, that section or term shall be invalid, but the remaining sections and terms of this MOU shall remain in full force and effect.
Nothing in this MOU may be construed to obligate the Participants to any current or future expenditure of resources.
States & Agencies participating in MOU
Great Lakes states: the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the States of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and New York; and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) along with the following federal agencies: the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Department of the Army (DA), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), the
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The agreement expires in five years
Link here Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium~ Fact Sheet.
and the MOU can be read in full HERE
Sources:
1 comment:
K, we should all refuse to be taken in by the term "offshore." It conjures up the idea that turbines will be far, far removed - only viewable on the distant horizon.
Remember what the wind idiots were proposing for the Wolfe Island offshore wind project? They were on the beach, not offshore.
Now when you think on the beach you are left with an entirely different mental image - all bad. In fact, the image is even worse than what they've got on land on Wolfe Island. You've still got noise, upwind of everybody, contaminated views big time. On the beach is worse than on shore, which is worse than offshore. I hope people remember this hierarchy. On the beach is worst of all!
Henceforth, please don't refer to this nonsense as "offshore wind," the better and more correct tag would be "on the beach."
Post a Comment