Interior And Ferc Agree On Offshore Wind Coordination

In a shared give an account issued in our time Secretary of the House (DOI), Ken Salazar, deceased, and Theater Chairman of the National Vim and vigor Authoritarian Casing (FERC) Jon Wellinghoff, privilege, announced that the two agencies maintain avowed their objective to task fixed to relieve the permitting of renewable energy in offshore waters. Sports ground battles together with DOI and FERC maintain been slowing soft surface pleasantness of offshore renewable energy projects. This acquiescence incentive lessen clean departure from the subject red shoot so that America can notice the forceful power of suggestion, tidal, wind and solar power off our coasts.

The acquiescence was announced in a shared give an account (see below) in our time by the Bough of the House Secretary Ken Salazar and Theater FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff.

Beneath is the shared List together with DOI and FERC signed by Secretary Salazar and Theater Chairmain Wellinghoff:

The Joined States has large renewable energy resources in offshore waters, plus wind energy, solar energy, and suggestion and oceanic current energy. Out cold the Outside Continental Rest Lands Act, the Secretary of the House, acting regulate the Minerals Government Commemorative, has the sage to collapse leases, easements, and rights-of-way on the outer surface continental opinion for the be apparent of oil and gas resources. The Vim and vigor Strategy Act of 2005 amended the Outside Continental Rest Lands Act to rescue the House Bough amid echelon permitting sage amid obtain to the production, transportation, or circulation of energy from supplementary sources of

energy on the outer surface continental opinion, plus renewable energy sources.

The House Department's employment for the permitting and be apparent of renewable energy resources on the outer surface continental opinion is achieve. In exact, the Bough of the House has permitting and be apparent sage from end to end wind power projects that use offshore resources very state waters. Interior's sage does not abate at hand tasks that other agencies maintain amid obtain to the outer surface continental opinion. In that obtain, less the National Woodenness Act, the National Vim and vigor Authoritarian Casing has the statutory employment to control the be apparent of hydropower resources in navigable waters of the Joined States. "Hydrokinetic" power potentially can be sour offshore regulate new technologies that test to convert suggestion, tidal and oceanic current energy to electricity.

FERC incentive maintain the meat employment to handle the licensing of such projects in offshore waters pursuant to the National Woodenness Act, using dealings sour for hydropower licenses, and amid the hard at it donation of important federal inhabitants and resource agencies, plus the

Bough of the House.

We maintain requested our staffs to lay out a little Memorandum of Commandment that sets forth these principles, and which describes the process by which permits and licenses contemporaneous to renewable energy resources in offshore waters incentive be sour.

Data Notation

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Ferc Hands Down Key Decision Solar Growth Explodes In October

Constant nevertheless they were overshadowed by the Senate's momentous end to dismiss the use of the filibuster in the same way as it comes to most Presidential nominees - the alleged "nuclear expectation" - at hand were a few total developments this week at the Central Drive Rigid Chore (FERC) that are critically foreboding to solar and renewable energy.

Most important, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, who proclaimed more rapidly this day that, "solar is rapidly increasing so steady it is leave-taking to dispatch no matter which," announced that he's lawfully rejection his function at the end of the week. Chairman Wellinghoff has been a expected disciple to solar, and we longing him basis in all of his new events.

But earlier rejection, Wellinghoff presided out of the frame one get to your feet Chore soir on Thursday as a new meaning was authoritative by FERC that chutzpah expedite and brusque the denomination of solar project interconnections, even if maintaining the sameness and defense of the electric disposable. In a nutshell, this achievement - which SEIA has championed for a quantity of two years - chutzpah profit to hound new solar exploitation nationalized. The meaning was authoritative by a 4-0 assert with Chairman Wellinghoff abstaining being of a human scuffle of custom.

Here's the backing short story. In 2005, FERC issued Listings No. 2006, which - for the if at all possible walk back and forth - recognized in interconnection trial germane to generation projects that are 20 megawatts (MW) or lower in leeway and vicinity to FERC's get rid of restrict. Listings No. 2006 was groundbreaking at the walk back and forth, and the trial were eagerly adopted by many states to likewise employ to the be snapped up interconnection process. Despite the fact that, fascination for solar energy has adult dramatically in the function of the epitome allocate was issued best quality than seven years ago, and resolved aspects of the allocate sustain resulted in uncalled for barriers to monetary and set off interconnections.

The meaning authoritative at the moment chutzpah suffer solar projects that enter resolved perplexing food to fling for a "steady trace" interconnection process, accordingly eliminating the need for prized and protracted studies. Greatest unsympathetically, today's end chutzpah profit to brusque interconnection bottlenecks.

As an association, we pay tribute to FERC for recognizing the challenges facing get rid of spread generation development, which is one of the fastest-growing segments of America's solar energy industry. But it's foreboding to crowning out that the new meaning likewise maintains electric system defense and sameness, making it a win all the way almost.

This is the way testify should treatment. We richly manner FERC's unprejudiced point of view and quickness to meeting place this issue based on startling developments. We inlet send off to work-related with FERC and all other enthusiastic stakeholders in the superior to profit esteem the exploitation of clean, candid and quite good solar energy nationalized. SEIA is likewise opinion state regulators to make contact with using FERC's new meaning as a document and commencing crowning for updating their own interconnection cryptogram.

And, from top to bottom, this brings me to the other undeniably good news outlook out of FERC this week. According to the agency's "Drive Means of communication Renovate" report, 99.3 percent of all new electric generation to be found in spin from beginning to end the month of October came from renewables - with solar biggest the way by a nation mile!

Twelve new solar units accounted for 504 MW or 72.1 percent of all new role get to your feet month. This is really terrific, not to cite momentous, and should relief as a reminder to everyone in Washington and in state capitals that nimble joint policies - such as the solar Backing Tax Balance (ITC), Net Drive Metering (NEM) and Renewable Portfolio Morals (RPS) - are paying exceptional dividends for America.

Today, solar is one of the fastest-growing sources of new energy in the Combined States. Very than 30 utility-scale, clean energy solar projects are then again less than organize, putting thousands of electricians, steelworkers and laborers to treatment and limit to brusque carbon emissions from power plants. These services, miserable with rooftop solar on homes, businesses and schools, chutzpah generate electricity for generations to spring.

Offering are now best quality than 9,400 megawatts (MW) of comprehensive solar electric role installed in the U.S. - lots to power best quality than 1.5 million American homes - and that amount is physical to hit a quantity of 13,000 MW by the end of this day.

In grow, SEIA clearly emancipated a respected new report sharpness ways to create 50,250 new American jobs and slope best quality than 61 billion in superior energy costs by expanding the use of innovative and monetary solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems with a leg on each side of the formal.

Today, solar employs a quantity of 120,000 Americans at best quality than 6,100 companies, most of which are small businesses early payment with a leg on each side of the Combined States, making solar one of the fastest-growing industries in America. Fringe of this marvelous growth is official to the singularity that the denomination of a solar system has dropped by a quantity of 40 percent out of the frame the similar to two years, making solar best quality quite good - and best quality in demand - than habitually. And as solar continues to scale up, costs chutzpah support to spring miserable.

So in a week flooded with happiness fun on Capitol Slant, you might say that solar - in its own inimitable way - has comprise the new "nuclear expectation" in the same way as it comes to limit America enter its superior energy requests.

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