OREC- Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition

Press Release:House and Senate Appropriations Committees Pass FY 2013 Energy and Water Development Funding Bills

OREC Admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:34:35 +0000

April 30, 2012

Washington, D.C. – Last week, the Appropriations Committees in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives approved their respective Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bills. The Senate funding measure includes $59 million for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Water Power program, while the House bill allots $45 million for the program. …Read the entire press release here.

NOAA Assistant Administrator David Kennedy will be a Keynote Speaker at GMREC V

OREC Admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:53:28 +0000

David M. Kennedy is the Assistant Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Ocean Service.

As Assistant Administrator, Mr. Kennedy oversees the National Ocean Service (NOS) which serves as the lead Federal agency providing science-based solutions to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our oceans and coasts. NOS observes, measures, assesses, and manages the Nation’s coastal, ocean and Great Lakes areas; provides critical navigation products and services; and conducts response and restoration activities to protect vital coastal resources. Federal agencies, states, local governments, non-profits and the private sector use NOS products and services to make informed policy, management, and business decisions which support healthy economies and ecosystems along the Nation’s coasts.

Prior to being selected by Undersecretary of Commerce and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco to run NOS, Mr. Kennedy served as the Director of NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) which leads the nation’s efforts to manage and conserve ocean and coastal resources. Included in OCRM’s responsibilities are federal consistency, coordination with state and local coastal zone management programs and the National Estuarine Research Reserves System, the National System of Marine Protected Areas, and the land acquisition grant program, Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP).

Mr. Kennedy also previously served as Director of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, where he directed a multi-disciplinary program to reduce risks to coastal and marine resources from environmental threats. He has more than 20 years of experience leading hazardous materials management and response efforts, including coordinating federal scientific response to more than 100 oil and chemical spill incidents including the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon spills.

In October 2009, Mr. Kennedy’s leadership, innovation, and vision were recognized with a prestigious Presidential Rank Award. And in November 2009, Mr. Kennedy was recognized in a group award for strong leadership and innovation leading to the completion of the environmental cleanup and historical preservation of the Pribilof Islands.

Mr. Kennedy was a U.S. delegate to the International Maritime Organization’s Conference on Oil Pollution Preparation and Response, chaired the Washington State Legislative Committee on Oil Spill Response, and was a member of the 1990 Program Committee of the National Oil Spill Conference. He founded the Islands Oil Spill Association, a non-profit oil spill response cooperative.

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Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference

April 24, 25 & 26, 2012

www.globalmarinerenewable.com

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William F. Tayler, P.E. CEM, Director for Shore Energy, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy (Energy) to Provide Keynote at GMREC V

OREC Admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:24:54 +0000

William F. Tayler, P.E. CEM

Director for Shore Energy, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy (Energy)

Mr. Tayler is the Director for Shore Energy in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy (Energy). Prior to this he was the Director for Energy Development at Naval Facilities Engineering Command. He develops energy policy and manages the execution of the Secretary of the Navy’s Shore Energy program. He has been instrumental in developing the Department of Navy’s renewable energy program, with emphasis on his work in leading the geothermal and ocean energy programs. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, American Public Works Association and the Association of Energy Engineers. He is recipient of the 2000 Federal Energy and Water Management Award, and the 2003 Presidential Award for Outstanding Leadership in Federal Energy Management. The Department of Navy’s Shore Energy Program also received under his leadership the Alliance to Save Energy “Star of Energy Efficiency Award” for 2003 and the Platt’s Global Energy Award for Leadership in 2004 and the Platt’s Global Energy Award for “Green Initiative” in 2009.

Mr. Tayler directs programs that are enabling Navy and Marine Corps installations to exceed the federal goal of reducing energy consumption (MBTU/KSF) by 3%/year. He also leads the Department’s efforts in complying with the goal of providing 50% of the energy consumed by 2025 from renewable resources. The Department currently has in place or is working on some of the federal government’s largest geothermal, solar and ocean power projects, including the 270 MW geothermal plant at NAWS China Lake. Mr. Tayler is a member of the Federal Interagency Energy Management Task Force, The Department of Defense Energy Security Task Force and was an advisor to the Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board.

Reserve Your Hotel…

Visit the Website & See the Latest Additions to the Agenda and Speakers

Reserve Your Hotel Today!

Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference

April 24, 25 & 26, 2012

www.globalmarinerenewable.com

Have you signed up for our mailing list? Our newsletter list gets information and announcements regarding GMREC V and other OREC news.

Senate/House FY13 MHK and Renewable Energy Research Funding Letters

OREC Admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:43:33 +0000

Attention OREC Members and supporters of offshore renewables. Follow the links to find the letters to the House and Senate Chairman and Ranking members of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations subcommittees . 23 Members of Congress and 14 Senators signed letters in support of EERE and Water Power R&D funding levels. You may want to reach out to your state’s delegation to gain additional support, consider filing supporting letters with the subcommittees, or have your Governor weigh in on these DOE funding recommendations.

Damian Kunko of SMI/Helios Strategies is assisting OREC and other clients with these efforts and is tracking and advocating for these recommendations in DC. For additional information, you may contact OREC President Sean O’Neill directly at 301-869-3790 or sean@oceanrenewable.com

Navigating the FERC Website: How to File Documents, Follow FERC Proceedings and Find Free Resources

OREC Admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:13:47 +0000

Seemingly benign, the FERC website, www.ferc.gov, contains a treasure trove of useful information for those who know where to look. In this introductory OREC webinar, OREC Counsel and FERC practitioner, Carolyn Elefant, will lead you through the FERC website and explain how to subscribe to dockets, file and retrieve motions electronically and most of all, how to search for resources on law and regulations, studies and other materials that can help MHK or any renewable developers or stakeholders here in the US or overseas to uncover useful information. As a special bonus, you’ll have an opportunity to submit questions that Carolyn will answer during the webinar. We guarantee that this webinar will save you time and money – and provide you with access to valuable studies, data and information that are all part of the public record (and for information that isn’t, Carolyn will explain the process of filing a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request or seeking CEII (Critical Energy Infrastructure Information).

The webinar is scheduled for March 27 at noon ET. Cost is $29; free for OREC members (please contact Sean O’Neill at soneill@oceanrenewable.com for the code). Please stay tuned for a full calendar of OREC Webinars coming soon. To submit questions in advance of the webinar, email them to info@oceanrenewable.com with caption “FERC Webinar Questions)

To sign up, visit this link- OREC Webinar Registration

GMREC V

OREC Admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:08:21 +0000

Join us at the 5th Annual Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference April 24th, 25th and 26th in Washington, DC…

Proposed Cuts to DOE Water Power Program Announced

OREC Admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:55:53 +0000

On February 14th, 2012 OREC responded to the proposed cuts to the DOE Water Power Program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget proposal released by President Obama earlier this week. You can read the complete Press Release here.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Issues First Tidal Power Project License

OREC Admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:06:08 +0000

On January 24th, 2012 OREC announced via Press Release the issuing of FERC’s first Tidal Power Project License to Verdant Power’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project. See the official press release here.

Press Release: $59 Million for FY 12 DOE Water Power R&D Program

OREC Admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:06:18 +0000

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 19, 2011

CONTACT: Sean O’Neill (301) 869-3790

Carolyn Elefant (202) 297-6100

$59 Million for FY 12 DOE Water Power R&D Program

MHK to receive $34 million for research, development and demonstration

President Obama is expected to sign into law this week the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 omnibus appropriations measure, which was passed by the House on Friday and the Senate on Saturday. The appropriations measure combines the nine remaining spending bills, including the Energy and Water bill, and has garnered large bipartisan support.

The bill provides $59 million for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Water Power R&D Program, with $34 million specifically allocated for Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) technology research, development and demonstration and $25 million for conventional hydropower. Within the total funding amount, at least $10 million is to be used to build necessary infrastructure, including environmental performance monitoring, at National Marine Renewable Energy Centers.

“The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition recognizes the tireless work and support of the House and Senate Appropriation Committees to fund MHK research and development at a level that will contribute to promising achievements toward commercialization over the next year,” stated Sean O’Neill, OREC’s President. “MHK technologies, which draw from our nation’s most abundant and reliable natural resource – ocean and current energy, will play a vital role in diversifying and securing our nation’s energy supply as we move into the future. We very much look forward to working with the Department of Energy, our member companies and universities to accelerate the technology development necessary to reach our goal of 15 Gigawatts of installed ocean MHK energy by 2030.”

The FY 2012 funding level for MHK represents a three-fold increase over FY 2011 levels for MHK technology R&D and related NMREC test center activities.

OREC seeks to secure increased federal funding for MHK technology commercialization efforts by our member companies. The imminent passage of the FY 12 omnibus appropriations bill is another positive step toward accomplishing that goal.

About the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition

The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) is the only national trade association exclusively dedicated to promoting marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies from clean, renewable ocean resources. Founded in April of 2005, the Coalition has grown to over 60 members including technology developers, consultants, law firms, investor-owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, universities, and scientific and engineering firms. The coalition is working with industry leaders, academic scholars, and other interested NGO’s to encourage ocean renewable technologies and raise awareness of their vast potential to help secure an affordable, reliable, environmentally friendly energy future.

OREC seeks a legislative and regulatory regime in the U.S. that fosters the growth of ocean renewable technologies, their commercial development, and support in the race to capture the rich energy potential of our oceans. While other countries have already deployed viable, operating, power generating projects using the emission-free power of ocean waves, currents, and tidal forces, the U.S. is only beginning to acknowledge the importance of these technologies.

OREC Corporate and Academic Members

Alden Research Laboratory, Inc.

Central Lincoln People’s Utility District

Chadbourne & Park, LLP

Chevron Technology Ventures

Columbia Power Technologies

Dresser Rand

HDR/DTA

Ecology & Environment, Inc.

Ecomerit Technologies

Florida Atlantic University

FluMill

Garrad Hassan

Kleinschmidt

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Long Island Power Authority

New England Marine Renewable Energy Center

Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory

University of Michigan

Millbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, LLP

Natural Currents

Ocean Power Technologies

Open Hydro

Ocean Renewable Power Company

Ocean Wave Energy Company

Oregon Iron Works

Oregon State University

Oregon Wave Energy Trust

Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Pelamis Wave Power Limited (Scotland)

Puget Sound Energy

Pierce Atwood, LLP

Reluminati

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Renewable Energy Composite Solutions

Resolute Marine Energy, Inc.

SAIC

Scottish Development International

Sea Mammal Research Unit Ltd.

SMI, Inc.

SML Consulting

Snohomish Public Utility District

Sound & Sea Technology, Inc.

Turner Hunt Ocean Renewables, LLC

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

Van Ness Feldman

Verdant Power

Wavebob, Ltd.

WaveStar Energy (Denmark)

Yakutat Power

Strategic Partners

Northwest Public Power Association

RenewableEnergyAccess.com

Scottish Development International

ACORE Phase II of Renewable Energy in America National Policy Forum

OREC Admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:17:06 +0000

December 6-7, 2011

ACORE’s annual Phase II Policy Forum has never been more important. With an industry whose growth and economic potential is being called into question, Phase II will be a critical meeting geared to formulate an over-arching strategy for the continued success and support of the industry. The forum will explore issues of national and energy security, economic development, capital raising, and jobs for the many under and unemployed Americans. The thought leaders from the global stage will join leaders from the national and state level to assess the status of renewable energy policy today, the range of policy options available, and help to advise on a best case policy framework for 2012 and beyond. Your attendance is critical to formulating a well-rounded energy policy for America’s future.