S. 630 Mark-Up
The Senate Energy Committee will convene on Thursday May 26, 2011 at 10 am to mark up pending energy legislation. Of particular interest to OREC is consideration of S.630 , a bill to promote MHK energy research and development. OREC President Sean O’Neill testified on behalf of the MHK industryat the hearing on the bill last month, and OREC staff will be on hand to report on the mark-up.
BOEM to Conduct EA for MHK Interim Leases
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that it will conduct an Environmental Assessment (EA) for interim leases to be located on the OCS off the coast of Florida. Official notice of the EA is available in the Federal Register, as well as instructions for filing comments.
FERC Issues EA Finding No Significant Impact for Verdant Power RITE Project
On May 9, 2011, FERC issued an Environmental Assessment for Verdant Power LLC’s application for a ten year pilot project license for the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project (RITE) to be located on the East river in New York. Staff’s EA concluded that the proposed action would not constitute a major federal action that would affect the quality of the human environment. Congratulations to OREC member Verdant on passing through this step of the licensing process. You can view the 140 page EA here.