Late last year Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company, LLC (Grays Harbor) filed applications with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to study the feasibility of hydrokinetic power projects (which also included a wind component) located in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 to 25 miles offshore off the coasts of New York (and Massachusetts and Rhode Island) and in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Hawaii and California.
Earlier this month, FERC and the Department of the Interior signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to clarify jurisdictional responsibilities for renewable energy projects in offshore waters on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) so as to create a cohesive, streamlined process to encourage the development of wind, solar, and hydrokinetic energy projects.
In the MOU, FERC agreed to not issue preliminary permits for hydrokinetic projects that would be located on the OCS. In light of the MOU, FERC dismissed Grays Harbor’s applications.
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