BOEM, NOAA & Fishing Industry sign new MOU on offshore wind energy

The 10-year MOU outlines several areas of mutual interest including responsible planning and siting of turbine arrays, development of sites of offshore wind power and to work with local and regional fishing interests.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to work together on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf for planning development of offshore wind energy.

According to the press release by NOAA Fisheries, affordable, reliable and safe production of domestic energy strengthens the U.S. economy. It promotes jobs and is critical to the security of nation. Offshore wind is an abundant resource of domestic energy which is located nearby major coastal load centers and provides a substitute to long-term transition or development of electricity generation in land-constrained regions.

Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director, BOEM, reportedly noted that effects of activities for development on the Outer Continental Shelf, on ocean users and marine environment should be measured. The agency has considered working with state, federal and local agencies, fishing communities and public as an important part for renewable energy program, he added.

RODA, a broad membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies, will work with BOEM and NOAA fisheries to compile, develop, and deliver the best scientific products available and provide necessary information to address offshore development, ecosystem health, and fisheries management.

The 10-year MOU outlines several areas of mutual interest including responsible planning and siting of turbine arrays, development of sites of offshore wind power and to work with local and regional fishing interests. The parties are to work together to engage regional and local fishing interests in process of developing offshore wind; identify the most effective ways to bring expertise of fishing industry into planning and development process; and to develop a collaborative regional research and to ensure decisions by monitoring framework based on best available scientific solutions.