By Pacific Island Times News Staff
The U.S. government is exploring the possibility of developing offshore wind turbines in Guam as part of federal plans to tap renewable energy across the United States.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are preparing a siting study and environmental assessment to guide the project's planning.
“NOAA is seeking public input to identify coastal and marine spatial data or other critical information to inform marine spatial analyses in Guam,” NOAA said in a request for information posted on Federal Register on Sept. 9.
“It is important for NOAA to invest in research that informs marine spatial studies in the Pacific region, including socioeconomic research that ensures meaningful participation of local communities and supports equitable processes for planning and siting of new and existing marine industries and conservation areas,” NOAA said.
The federal government is also conducting similar studies in all other U.S. territories.
Last month, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management closed the solicitation period for “ideas for baseline environmental and socioeconomic studies” on potential offshore wind energy activities in the U.S. territories.
“BOEM develops, funds, and manages rigorous scientific research to ensure our decisions are informed by the best science and Indigenous knowledge available,” said Rodney Cluck, chief of BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program.
Cluck said additional research would increase the bureau's understanding of the U.S. territories and the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on their residents and resources.
NOAA said it has been working with the BOEM "to support siting and environmental review for offshore wind energy areas in U.S. federal waters to ensure the protection of trust resources in any offshore development activities."
"NOAA hopes to come out of the meetings with a strengthened relationship with the public and a list of best available data and data gaps," the agency said,
In April, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the federal government’s five-year offshore wind leasing schedule, which includes up to 12 potential offshore wind energy lease sales through 2028.
“Future offshore wind energy lease sales from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are anticipated in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and the waters offshore of the U.S. territories in the next five years,” the DOI said in a press release in April..
The leasing schedule includes four potential offshore lease sales in 2024, one each in 2025 and 2026, two in 2027, and four in 2028.
The department has approved more than 10 gigawatts of clean energy from offshore wind projects — enough to power nearly 4 million homes, according to the energy bureau.
Read NOAA's RFI here.
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The leasing schedule includes four potential offshore lease sales in 2024, one each in 2025 and 2026, two in 2027, and four in 2028. You may choose a skate snow rider 3d park and practice tricks for 10 minutes.