In NJ-A Wind-Farm Could power 300K homes: MMS and FERC hammer out Conflicts
FROM GLOBEST.COM in NYC
LINK TO FULL STORY at "GlobeSt.Com"
However, there are what might be seen as antiquated federal hurdles to cross that have led to disputes over who has final say on renewable energy development plans that involve massive energy producing apparatus planted in the sea beds off the coastlines of America.
As it stands, a company that wishes to build an offshore wind farm must obtain all relevant local, state and federal permits and leases. But part of the process also involves approval by both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the US Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service.
According to Hammer, this means the United States doesn't have a functioning regulatory system for offshore renewal energy sources. He says the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or FERC process exists and functions but the MMS process is in development and will probably not issue a call for proposals for leases until the middle of next year.
"As it stands now, he says the regulations are actually in direct conflict about who's in charge out there" in the sea, says Hammer. "So even if you want to do it, under MMS rules, you can't, because they won't give you a permit since they don't have a system set up yet." He adds that the MMS is working as quickly as possible considering the complexities involved in setting up a working rule.
