Final Rule on Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf

The Final Rule on Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf codifies the authority to regulate renewable energy projects on the US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) given to the Interior Departments Mineral Management Services (MMS) in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Rule establishes a framework for renewable energy production on the OCS. It establishes a programme to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way for orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible renewable energy development activities, such as the sitting and construction of off-shore wind farms, on the OCS. The new program also establishes methods for sharing revenues generated from OCS renewable energy projects with adjacent coastal States. Additionally the framework will enhance partnerships with Federal, state, and local agencies and tribal governments to assist in maximizing the economic and ecological benefits of OCS renewable energy development. Rules were agreed following an agreement between Interior Department and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) clarifying their agencies jurisdictional responsibilities for leasing and licensing renewable energy projects on the OCS.

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