The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is to pursue an aggressive offshore wind leasing program in Fiscal Year 2020 having secured $21.3m for renewable energy in US president Donald Trump’s proposed budget of $193m for the federal agency.
The money will also support work related to permitting and construction of offshore wind farms, as well as other forms of clean power, including wave and tidal.
The agency stated: “In recognition of the role renewable energy can play in achieving this Administration’s America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, BOEM will continue to advance renewable energy through an aggressive leasing program, while ensuring that its environmental review and permitting process for renewable energy projects is coordinated, predictable, and transparent.”
The other areas the budget will be used to support are the 2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, and management of the Outer Continental Shelf marine minerals, which include sand and gravel resources that are used for coastal resilience and ecological projects.
The fourth area is environmental analyses, where BOEM is committed to conducting its environmental analyses in a transparent, coordinated, and streamlined fashion to ensure that decisions are informed by the best available science.
BOEM stated it will continue to use environmental science as the foundation for sound policy decisions.