Category Archives: Offshore

A new law to force big oil and gas producers to pay the cost of removing their offshore rigs from the ocean passed through Parliament this week, with federal Resources Minister Keith Pitt warning industry that taxpayers will not foot the bill to remove their old infrastructure.

Mr Pitt told Parliament the industry-wide clean-up bill due over the next 30 years was estimated at $60 billion.

Resources Minister Keith Pitts has enacted new laws to ensure offhsore petroleum producers foot the bill for decommissioning their rigs. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen.

The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment Bill creates a trailing liability for offshore petroleum companies, effective retrospectively from January 1 this year. It gives government call-back powers to force previous owners of an asset to pay for decommissioning if the current owner cannot.

The trailing liability provisions will be an action of last resort when all other safeguards have been exhausted and will reduce the risk that the financial costs of decommissioning will be left to Australian taxpayers, Mr Pitt said.

It also sets the expectation that sellers will undertake appropriate due diligence before selling assets, titles and infrastructure, so they can avoid being called back to decommission and remediate title areas.

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Industry and environment groups have cautiously welcomed the passage of the bill, covering Australias offshore oil and gas fields on the North West Shelf in Western Australia and Bass Strait.

Mr Pitts reform was prompted by the case of the Northern Endeavour, which the federal government was forced to take ownership of in 2019. The industry regulator had shut down production on the ageing vessel due to safety concerns after the small company that had taken it over from Woodside entered liquidation. Mr Pitt has promised to soon impose a levy across the industry to pay for the removal of that rig.

Peak industry lobby the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association opposed trailing liability laws during consultation on the reform, arguing it could encourage the final titleholder ... to walk away from the property and reallocate decommissioning costs to former titleholders.

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New laws force offshore oil and gas industry to pay $60 billion clean-up cost - Sydney Morning Herald

Gone are the days when US offshore wind was strictly an eastern affair its a sign of the times that Recharge this week carried news on the sector from every American coastline, complete with an endorsement from the Terminator himself.

It is true that the Atlantic seaboard remains the heart of the action, with a potential new prospect emerging this week as federal officials examine options for fresh leasing off the Virginias.

The east coasts landmark commercial-scale project, Vineyard Wind, put another piece of the supply chain puzzle in place with the hiring of contractors to lay its inter-array lines, while New Yorks entry to the offshore wind era moved closer as officials completed a review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the South Fork project off Long Island.

There was also a note of warning, however, when industry lobbying group the American Clean Power Association warned new stipulations proposed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) could hinder development in the vast New York Bight leasing round that could take place as soon as this year.

Further afield, the momentum behind west coast offshore wind now very much a matter of when rather than if gathered with a new report from the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, co-founded by former California governor and Hollywood A-lister Arnold, that sea-based turbines could help keep the lights on in the state as extreme weather threatens infrastructure onshore.

The west coast charge will be led by floating projects, and a trio of offshore wind veterans this week joined Ireland-based Simply Blue Energy as part of an international push that will start in the US.

The trio of coastlines was completed when prospects for offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico drew warm words from executives at an industry conference, weeks after a tepid response to a federal consultation left them looking doubtful.

The row over blue and green hydrogen, and their respective energy transition credentials shows no sign of losing its edge.

Last week, the blue camp which sees a role for H2 made using fossil fuels with carbon capture received what can only be described as a mauling from an academic study that labelled it worse than burning gas or coal in some cases.

But the backlash was led by Norwegian energy giant Equinor, which took issue with incorrect assumptions and conclusions made by the US researchers to mount a spirited defence of blue H2.

A focus of disagreement elsewhere this week was the UK, which launched its long-awaited national hydrogen strategy with a foot in both camps and saw the chairman of the nations Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association quit over support for blue H2 that betrays future generations.

The green camp, meanwhile, marshalled its forces from Australia with the formation of a new global lobbying group by mining tycoon Andrew Forrest and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to promote renewable hydrogen over blue spin.

There was also a fresh move to link offshore wind to green hydrogen, this time off Brazil where developer Enterprize Energy hopes to have multi-gigawatt arrays running by the end of the decade.

The wind turbine ratcheted up another notch in its relentless growth in power and size when Chinas MingYang Smart Energy took the wraps off a 16MW model with the largest rotor yet seen.

MingYang laid down a marker of its ambitions for the turbine from China to the North Sea as it became the first Chinese OEM to outgun the likes of Vestas which launched its own 15MW model earlier this year and Siemens Gamesa, which already has big orders lined up for its own supersized machine.

The rate and scale of innovation in the industry owes much to the lead given by the likes of Aloys Wobben, the late industry pioneer and Enercon founder whose genius was this week the subject of a tribute by Recharge.

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Arnie backs all-American offshore wind, blue v green H2 row rages, and China supersizes | Recharge - Recharge

Britain plans to establish offshore asylum centres for Afghan refugees in countries such as Pakistan and Turkey, as ministers admit that the UK will not be able to rescue those eligible for resettlement before troops leave Kabul.

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said in a newspaper article on Sunday that the UK planned to establish a series of processing hubs across the region outside Afghanistan, for Afghans it had an obligation to.

At least 1,429 Afghans have been evacuated from Kabul since last Friday, as part of the Arap relocation scheme designed to help interpreters and others who have helped the British during their 20 years in Afghanistan.

But it is estimated that a similar number or more remain in the country. The emergency airlift was continuing on Sunday, with RAF flights operating despite a crush at the airport gates as desperate Afghans try to flee.

Nato believes 20 people have died around the airport in the last week, but Britains armed forces minister, James Heappey, said the flow outside the airport had improved because the Taliban were marshalling people into separate queues for the US evacuation and the UK evacuation.

A total of 1,721 people Britons, Afghans and people from allied countries had been evacuated from Kabul on eight flights in the past 24 hours, Heappey said, with the RAF receiving help from its Australian counterpart in getting people to safety.

But British officials already acknowledge that it is virtually impossible to evacuate people coming from outside Kabul, although Afghans with a claim have told charity workers they would risk crossing the country if they knew they had a flight.

The new proposal was born out of the emergency, Wallace said, in an article in the Mail on Sunday. The [Arap] scheme is not time-limited. We shall stand by our obligations and are investigating now how to process people from third countries and refugee camps, he wrote.

A scheme to establish an offshore immigration centre was included as part of the Home Offices nationality and borders bill, published in the early summer, before the western-backed government in Afghanistan collapsed.

It was controversial because the intention was to allow the UK to send people to a third country to allow their claims to be processed. Officials had begun talks with Denmark about creating a processing centre in Africa but how it will link together to the emergency centres is unclear.

Britain has also agreed to take 20,000 Afghan refugees in a separate scheme announced on Tuesday, 5,000 of which will be in the first year. Priority will be given to groups who are most at risk of human rights abuses, such as women, girls and those from religious minorities.

Ministers are also debating how to respond to the Taliban, with the home secretary, Priti Patel, understood to be exploring with security officials whether they should be proscribed as a terrorist organisation alongside the likes of Isis.

But the prime minister, Boris Johnson, and other government departments have been holding out the possibility of recognising the Taliban government in Kabul, arguing the regime should be judged by actions not words.

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UK plans offshore asylum centres in Pakistan and Turkey for Afghans - The Guardian

Brunswick County beach towns are back to square one in a push to ensure potential offshore wind farms are out of the line of sight from shore.

Nothing has changed, said Village of Bald Head Island Councilor Peter Quinn. Were still in the exact same situation. Nothing has been addressed.

The village council first adopted a resolution in 2015 urging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, to establish a buffer for offshore wind energy leases no closer than 24 nautical miles, or about 27 miles, off North Carolinas southern coast.

In May, councilors once again passed a similar resolution, a move that triggered other beach towns in the county, including Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Caswell Beach, most recently, Oak Island, and the county board of commissioners to follow suit.

As opposition mounts along North Carolinas southernmost coast to wind turbines within the viewshed, or line of sight from shore, the federal government is ramping up proposed plans for what could be the first wind energy farms off the states coast. BOEM earlier this month began hosting a series of virtual public meetings as part of the agencys environmental review of the proposed projects construction and operations plans.

In all, three wind energy areas, or WEAs, spanning more than 307,000 acres have been identified off the states coast for potential commercial wind energy development.

These areas include the Kitty Hawk WEA, Wilmington West WEA and Wilmington East WEA, the latter two of which are off Brunswick Countys ocean shoreline.

BOEM has established a 24-nautical-mile no-leasing buffer for Virginia and the Kitty Hawk WEA. A 33.7 nautical mile no-leasing buffer has been established to protect the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Meanwhile, the proposed lease sites offshore of Brunswick County are considerably closer to the coast, raising concerns about how the potential for hundreds of wind turbines towering over the ocean and changing the view of the horizon from shore might impact, among other things, tourism.

As it stands, the closest border of the Wilmington West WEA is 10 nautical miles from shore. The Wilmington East WEA would be as close as about 15 miles from Bald Head Island.

Mockup photographs of wind farms within those distances to Brunswicks shores are on BOEMs website.

John Filostrat, director of public affairs of BOEMs Gulf of Mexico region, said in an email response to Coastal Review that BOEM is preparing a proposed sale notice that will identify potential lease areas in the Wilmington East area.

A draft of the proposed sale was discussed in July at a meeting of the Regional Carolina Long Bay Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force.

BOEM anticipates holding an auction in the Carolina Long Bay region next year, Filostrat said in the email. Any potential lease sale would be informed by science and other information collected from the Carolina Long Bay Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, ocean users, and key stakeholders.

He explained that BOEMs environmental review process includes potential impacts of wind turbines within viewsheds.

Visual impacts are one of many resources that BOEM evaluates through its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, he said. BOEM requires all offshore wind project proposals (as detailed in an offshore wind developers Construction and Operations Plan) to include viewshed mapping, photographic and video simulations, and field inventory techniques, as appropriate, so that BOEM can determine, with reasonable accuracy, the visibility of the proposed project from shore. Simulations should illustrate sensitive and scenic viewpoints.

Property owners and visitors to Block Island, a small island a little more than 10 miles south of mainland Rhode Island, have a front-row view of the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States.

The 840-foot-tall turbines are little more than 3 miles offshore.

Were right at ground zero, said Block Island property owner Rosemarie Ives.

The 30-megawatt wind farm is operated by Orstead, a Denmark-based company. The wind farms five turbines became operational in December 2016. They generate enough energy to power 17,000 homes, according to Orstead.

Block Island, once powered by five diesel generators, is now powered entirely by offshore wind, according to information provided on the companys website.

The islands local government board, the New Shoreham Town Council, supported the project. The response among property owners there are about 1,000 year-round residents on the island and tourists have been a mixed bag.

Ives and her husband were part of a handful of property owners, including a family on the mainland, thrust into the spotlight as they fought the project.

Three months out of the year, they leave their home on the West Coast to vacation at the cottage, which sits atop the islands bluffs, offering a panoramic view from south to east.

During a recent telephone interview, Ives described the scene from the cottage, one that has been in her husbands family since 1924.

We get to see all five of (the turbines) and theyre not moving one inch today because theres absolutely no wind, she said. I remember the first time we came here in 1967 and I thought, oh my God, this is like nothing else. I think it was almost hypnotizing. It used to be quite majestic. Its not the same.

Now, the dark sky that stretched over the ocean is peppered with blinking lights on the turbines.

Youre not having the experience of seeing the ocean rise above, she said. Theres something spiritual, magical about looking out and seeing the ocean and seeing the sky and now youre seeing these turbines that are right there.

She describes the process for which the wind farm was approved complex and convoluted, one that she said inflates the projects touted benefits.

Ives is a former mayor of Redmond, Washington, for 16 years, to be exact. She chaired the U.S. Conference of Mayors Sustainability Task Force, and was an initial signatory of the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

She refers to her background with an emphasis that shes not anti-renewable energy.

I was green way, way before it was politically correct, she said.

Theres a seemingly similar sentiment among those in Brunswick County asking for the buffer.

When the Holden Beach Property Owners Association adopted in 2018 a resolution asking BOEM for the buffer, its members were intent on making sure it was not worded in a way that could be construed as anti-renewable energy.

We debated all that and tweaked the wording to make sure we didnt across as anti-wind, said Tom Meyers, the associations president. Weve been mostly focused on the view from the beach strand. Its the lights as much as what well see in the day. Were all on the same page. When you go out to the ocean and you look out at the night you just want to see the sky. I really wish the town would pass a resolution and take a stand here. Once youre changing the view from the beach youre impacting a lot.

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Brunswick officials' worries over offshore wind unresolved | Coastal Review - Coastal Review Online

OFFSHORE WIND AMERICAN MANUFACTURING ACT OF 2021 INTRODUCED IN THE U.S. SENATE

On 11 August 2021, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ)introducedthe Offshore Wind American Manufacturing Act of 2021, a bill to create two new tax credits for domestic offshore wind manufacturing facilitiesan investment tax credit and a production tax credit.

The investment tax credit would provide a 30 percent tax credit to build, upgrade, or retool domestic manufacturing facilities that are predominantly used to manufacture or process offshore wind components or vessels. The credit would apply to construction, reconstruction, and acquisition costs as well if the facility would be repurposed to manufacture offshore wind components or vessels.

The production tax credit would provide a tax credit for each component or vessel an eligible facility produces, provided the component or vessel is placed into service or sold. For components, the amount of the credit is determined by the rated capacity of the completed offshore wind turbine multiplied by a designated value for each type of component. For instance, a tower (or subcomponents thereof), would qualify for a credit calculated by multiplying the rated capacity by 3 cents, whereas a nacelle (or subcomponents thereof), would utilize a multiplier of 5 cents. Vessels would qualify for 10 percent of the sale price. The production tax credit would phase out in years 2029 and 2030, and would be eliminated for components or vessels placed into service or sold after 31 December, 2030. To qualify for either credit, all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors that help manufacture the products at the eligible facility are paid the prevailing wage for similar work in that locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor.

On 13 August 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded US$82.6 million in funding to 44 projects designed to increase energy efficiency and lower consumers energy bills. According to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Americans spend about $100 billion every year on wasted energy from buildings, heating and cooling units, and advancements that make both existing and newly constructed buildings more energy-efficient save[s] consumers money and reduce[s] the climate impacts of the places we live and work.

Spanning 20 states, the awarded projects include efforts to develop: an isothermal compressor that can reduce the energy consumption of refrigerators by an average of 40 percent; demonstrate the effectiveness of battery-integrated appliances to shift electrical loads on utility grids in response to demand; and collaborate between home manufacturers, product suppliers, and customers to develop cost-effective solutions for net-zero-energy manufactured homes.

On 13 August 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)announcedthat it is considering a lease sale for the Wilmington East wind energy area located in the Long Bay area, offshore North and South Carolina. BOEM is currently preparing a supplemental environmental assessment and is seeking public comments through 12 September 2021.

The announcement follows closely on the heels of North Carolina Governor Roy Coopers June 9thexecutive orderdirecting agencies in his administration to develop wind-energy infrastructure off the states coast. Section 1 of the order lays out targets for energy production from wind energy, noting that the state will strive for development of 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy resources off the North Carolina coast by 2030 and 8.0 GW by 2040.

On 11 August 2021, the California Energy Commissionannouncedthat itadoptedthe 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) for newly constructed and renovated buildings. The Energy Code applies to residential, nonresidential, high-rise residential, and hotel and motel buildings. The CEC expects the revised standards to increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, thereby helping California meet its long-term climate and emissions goals.

The revised standards include four majorchanges. First, they will encourage electric heat pump technology, a technology that may provide substantial increases in energy efficiency while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Second, the standards will establish electric-ready requirements for single-family homes, requiring these buildings to have dedicated circuits and infrastructure to accommodate installation of electric appliances. Third, they extend solar photovoltaic (PV) system standards and introduce battery storage standards for additional building categories, including select businesses. Finally, the Energy Code updates ventilation standards.

The revised Energy Code is notable in that it establishes combined solar PV and battery standards for certain businesses and civic facilities, including retail and grocery stores, restaurants, schools, theaters, auditoriums, and convention centers. The code revisions also establish new energy efficiency standards for commercial greenhouses, with this provision primarily directed to commercial cannabis growing operations.

Maeve C. Tibbetts and Oretha A. Manu also contributed to this article.

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US Senate Introduces Offshore Wind American Manufacturing Act - The National Law Review

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Offshore staff

WASHINGTON, DC and NEW ORLEANS The Biden administration has filed notice that it is appealing a federal judges order that blocked its suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and waters that include the Gulf of Mexico.

An auction of federal leases in the Gulf was halted in March as a result of the moratorium, and created uncertainty for one scheduled in November.

In a statement issued on August 16, the Department of the Interior said it would continue onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing as required by US District Judge Terry Doughty, while it challenges the judges decision before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Doughty sided with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Those states said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs.

The Interior Department statement re-emphasized the administration position that the pause is needed; it contends that federal oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions.

Earlier that same day (August 16), a dozen oil industry trade groups, led by the American Petroleum Institute, filed a new lawsuit challenging the leasing pause, joining at least three other related cases proceeding in federal courts.

The appeal comes just ahead of a court deadline for the administration to explain how it was complying with Doughtys June 15 order that leasing should resume. The Interior Department has not yet issued public plans for new lease sales or rescheduled any lease sales.

Even as the Interior Department said that it would resume leasing, it made clear that it intends to pursue significant changes in the leasing program: Federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions and growing climate and community impacts, the agency said in its August 16 statement. Yet the current programs fail to adequately incorporate consideration of climate impacts into leasing decisions or reflect the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions, including, for example, in royalty rates.

08/21/2021

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US Department of Interior says oil and gas leasing will resume - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

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Almost a decade ago, Equinor recognized that the cost structure for new offshore field developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) was unsustainable. The company set out to reduce costs by at least 25%, and discussions began with service providers about how to achieve this step-change in efficiency.

At the same time, Baker Hughes had been advocating for greater collaboration in the North Sea to achieve better performance at lower cost.

By the time the Johan Sverdrup well construction tender was released in early 2015, Equinor had created a new fully integrated business model aimed at reducing costs and drilling days per well by 50% within three years.

This new model was based on having one main service provider to collaborate closely with the operator and rig contractor to collectively close the gap to the perfect well.

Based on this model, Equinor awarded a long-term, integrated drilling and well service contract for Johan Sverdrup to Baker Hughesthe first large-scale contract of its kind on the NCS. Odfjell Drilling was awarded the main rig and rig services contract.

Initially there was trepidation about achieving the projects ambitious objectives. The three companies created a shared vision to build support and align employees across the partnershipONE Team: Perfect Well Deliveries.

The Johan Sverdrup integrated project was a masterful success that proved the value of integration and collaboration. As a result, in 2017, Equinor expanded its vision and launched tenders to transition all their rigs and assets on the NCS to the integrated model.

With learnings from Johan Sverdrup and new technology and remote operations on the rise, this was the chance to push the integrated approach and transform the offshore industry even further.

The personnel optimization model called Integrated Operations Level 3 (IOL3) is a new way to leverage the advantages of having one service provider. The concept behind IOL3 is to move any task not physically required to take place at the wellsite onshore.

The goal was to reduce the core crew offshore by 50%, which would radically reduce structural costs, shrink the operational carbon footprint, and improve safety, all while maintaining and even improving service delivery.

To meet the challenge, Baker Hughes reconsidered and fundamentally changed its approach to wellsite roles, and replaced them with new, multi-skilled roles that leveraged more than one technical discipline.

In October 2019, Baker Hughes became the first oilfield service company to transition a rig to IOL3. Baker Hughes shifted half its offshore rig personnel to its ROC in Stavanger. No longer isolated on the rig, these specialists collaborated with other experts in new ways to make better, faster decisions at critical moments in the well construction process. By working remotely, they also avoided the safety risks of working offshore.

To date, Baker Hughes has transitioned 10 rigs to IOL3 and another three are in transition. About 120 Baker Hughes employees have relocated from rigs to onshore, reducing 900+ helicopter trips, thereby reducing emissions from travel.

At the same time, operational excellence continues. In July 2021, a record-setting well in the Troll field was celebrated by Equinor, Odfjell Drilling, and Baker Hughes. Records include the longest well drilled (10,042 m) and the longest horizontal section (8,033 m).

Baker Hughes is building on its success with Equinor. Earlier this year, bp announced the Clair Alliance, a tripartite agreement with Baker Hughes and Odfjell Drilling to transform well construction activity using IOL3 at the Clair Field, U.K.

Ultimately, Baker Hughess goal is to expand the IOL3 model to all its integrated projects worldwide.

The ability to reduce emissions, while improving safety outcomes and operational performance serves as a proof of concept that sets the standard for sustainable offshore oil and gas projects in the 2020s and beyond.

Marianne Davenport serves asvice president of Europe and North Sea at Baker Hughes and Chris Jones is the vice president of North America Offshore at Baker Hughes.

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OTC 2021: Setting the Standard for Sustainable Offshore Oil and Gas Projects - hartenergy.com

In a textbook case of unintended consequences, the White House called on OPEC+ to increase oil production to alleviate high oil prices while, almost at the same time, saying they were appealing an injunction blocking their arbitrary pause of new U.S. oil and gas lease opportunities.

The plea comes as inflationary energy prices are hitting American consumers. According to recently released Labor Department data, oil prices are up more than 40 percent this year and average gasoline prices have been above $3 per gallon since May. As National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan correctly noted, Higher gasoline costs, if left unchecked, risk harming the ongoing global recovery.

Seven months ago, the Biden administration enacted the arbitrary pause on new Federal oil and gas lease sales. Two months ago, a Federal judge ruled against the pause, confirming that the Department of the Interior is required by law to expeditiously develop Americas energy resources, including the obligation to schedule and hold offshore oil and gas lease sales.

Earlier this month the Department of the Interior said it would proceed with new leasing consistent with the injunction but would still appeal the decision.

American offshore oil and gas production provides no shortage of benefits to the American people. The region supports more than 345,000 high paying and accessible jobs and generates spending and investments in every single U.S. state.

My organization, the National Ocean Industries Association, released a new report this month taking a closer look at the multitude of jobs and investment associated with Gulf of Mexico energy production. In 2019, the Gulf supported $28 billion in investment, 1.8 million barrels of oil production per day, and 345,000 jobs throughout the country.

More than 200 types of jobs are directly involved in offshore oil and gas projects. These jobs are high paying and have an average salary nearly 30 percent higher than the national average.

Jobs and spending for offshore oil and gas projects begin well before a lease is signed with the Federal government. Geologists, computer scientists, petroleum engineers, finance professionals and others are needed during before the leasing process begins.

Without the certainty offered by regular and predictable lease offerings, offshore oil and gas jobs face tremendous risk.

Along with Gulf of Mexico jobs and spending, American emissions and climate progress will take a hit without continued access to new opportunities. Offshore oil production has the lowest carbon intensity of the oil producing regions. An Obama administration review of the current Federal offshore leasing plan determined GHG emissions would be higher without these lease sales because energy production would be outsourced to foreign counties resulting in a higher carbon footprint.

Not to mention, billions of dollars in revenues from offshore oil and gas production have funded critical conservation and recreation programs, including investments in economically distressed urban areas.

U.S. government efforts should strive to prevent the substitution American offshore production with barrels from high emitting foreign sources, such as Russia, with weak environmental oversight. Trying to limit responsible Federal oil and gas leasing is a massive, unforced error by the Biden administration that undercuts American jobs, businesses, national security, and emissions and environmental performance.

As oil and gas prices continue to rise, the U.S. must take steps to avert potential inflationary risks and proactively ensure affordable energy for all walks of life, especially low-income communities. However, the best policy solutions for Americans wont be found abroad, they are here in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is an incredible American energy, economic and environmental and emissions success story, one that policymakers would be wise to embrace.

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Comment: Stop the foot dragging on offshore oil and gas leases - Houston Chronicle

NEW BEDFORD As sections of ocean off the coast of New York nearauction to offshore wind developers, local fishermen have calledon the federal government to do a better job not only engaging with the fishing industry, but also heeding its concerns and implementing its recommendations.

At stake for fishermen, wind developers and the Biden administration is the New York Bight an area of shallow waters between Long Island, New York, and the New Jersey coast.Within the bight, commercial fishermen fish for scallops,summer flounder and surf clams, among other species.

In June, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposed sale ofmore than 600,000 acresof the bightfor offshore wind development. Before the public comment period for the proposed saleclosed on Aug. 13, the U.S.Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management held virtual meetings with fishermen, during which many shared their frustration and concern.

During ameeting on Aug. 6with BOEM officials,city officials and fishermen from along the East Coast shared concerns about engagement, accountability, transparency and safety.The top BOEM official, Director Amanda Lefton, appeared virtually and spokedirectly to local representatives. The meetingtook a hybrid format with more than 100 people via Zoom and about 20 people at the city's Fairfield Inn.

"We understand that the fishing community across the coast has been frustrated by a perceived lack of more efficient engagement by BOEM and by the offshore wind industry," Lefton said in her opening statement. "We know that youre concerned not just for your industry and livelihood, but also for the ecosystem health of these areas."

She also acknowledged an "accelerated pace" at which the New York Bight leasing process is proceeding.

DavidFrulla, an attorney who works with industry groupFisheries Survival Fund, told the Standard-Times it was "notable" Lefton was present at the meeting and directly responding to attendees.He said in his recollection, there hasn't been communication at this levelbetween the BOEM director and fishermenincluding during the Obama and Trump administrations.

In a letter sent April 28to Lefton, Mayor Jon Mitchell wrote thewind energy areas, particularly the Central Bight and Hudson South,were established on "significant" scallop fishing grounds. He proposedthe removal of a five-mile strip along the easternboundary of Hudson Southto minimize fishery impacts.

During the meeting, Lefton and another BOEM officialacknowledged the industry's calls fora buffer zone in that area, with one official sayingthey are considering a bufferand looking forward to receiving supporting information for the request.

Blair Bailey, general counsel for the Port of New Bedford, told BOEM officials that it appears to the fishing industry that fishermen have a greater burden to prove something than other stakeholders.

He said when they requested a buffer, the "immediate" response from BOEM was a request forthe city to provide scientific support.He said the city can and will provide it, but that BOEM's response "doesn't seem to apply" to others who provide input.

"When somebody doesnt want to see a turbine from their house that's on shore, that wind energy area disappears," he said. "But when the fishermen say, 'We need this area, therefore we need you to move things or change things,' the response doesnt appear, again from the outside, to be as quick and as accepted as the input from other people."

'A one-stop shop': Officials tout New Bedford's future offshore wind training facility

Eric Hansen, a retired New Bedford scallop fishermen who owns and operates a few commercial vessels, told the Standard-Times that wind development in the bight is "very concerning." He said every scallop fishermanon the East Coast uses the bight because they have allocations to catch a certain amount of scallopsfrom an access area there.

For the 20th consecutive year, New Bedford was the nation's top-earning fishing port.Scallops account for 84% of the port's value of landings, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The trip from New Bedford to the bight can take 12 to 20 hours and last one to two weeks, Hansen said. The amount of scallops caught in the bight annually can vary, but he said it makes up a "significant" portion of a scallop fisherman'scatch.

Top-earning port: New Bedford is nation's top-earning port for 20th consecutive year

Regarding potential turbine impacts on scallop habitats, Hansen told officials viaZoom that scallop larvae drift in currents and that currents change when structures are placed in the water.He also said structures would create habitats for mussels and snails, which are competitors and predators, respectively, of scallops.

"That's why we're asking for a five-mile buffer," he said. "To protect a very significant portion of the scallop harvest on the East Coast."

Hansen and another New Bedford scallop fisherman, Jay Elsner, also shared their concerns with BOEM officialsabout wind development's impact on scallop surveys.

Elsner told officialsthe turbines would likely keep survey vessels out of the lease areas. He said an inability to survey certain scallop populations would lead to an absence of data on population size, whichwould then affect how fishery regulators set catch limits.

Lefton, in response to Elsner, said BOEM is working with the National Marine Fisheries Service (also known as NOAA Fisheries) on an approach so that surveys can continue with minimized impacts.

Local scientists are alsoactively working to understand the potential impacts of offshore wind developmenton long-standing scallop surveys.

Meet the women of New Bedford's Waterfront: Scientists analyze data to support fisheries

Development in the New York Bight fits into the larger picture of the Biden administration's goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (or30,000 megawatts) of offshore wind power in the United Statesby 2030.

The Biden-Harris Administration has made fighting climate change, which is already having major impacts on marine ecosystems, a center piece of their agenda," Lefton wrote in a statement to the Standard-Times. "Offshore wind represents a big part of the solution. BOEM is actively seeking ways that we can advance the Administrations renewable energy targets at the same time that we are working with the commercial fishing community and other ocean users to avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts to their operations.

The technical potential for current offshore wind leases in the country is 25 GW, assuming 12 MW turbines spaced1 nautical mile apart, a BOEM official told the Standard-Times.Leases for which BOEM has received project proposals represent about 19 GW of energy.

'America's leader in offshore wind': What Vineyard Wind final approval means for New Bedford

Both estimates do not include the energy potential from the bight. If the wind energy areas in the bight are approved and leased, they would have the potential to generate more than 7 GW of renewable energy, the officialsaid.

The 25 GW technical potential is for lease areas located from Massachusetts to North Carolina. There are currently no leases in the Pacific Ocean becausethat area is still in the early stages of the renewable energy process, the official said.

During the meeting, Hansen said wind energy doesn't have to "all come from here," stating there is space in the Gulf of Mexico and West Coast to meet the administration's energy goals.

Right now there's a big fear of the unknown," he said. "We have to go slow before we ruin everything."

In March 2021, following the Biden administration'sannouncement of wind energy areas in the bight, Mitchell said in a statement thatNew Bedford has "much at stake" and that the city would support wind farms not only in Massachusetts, but also in the bight.

Offshore wind: Staging facility coming to New Bedford waterfront

He said most of the seafood caught in the bight, by dollar value, lands in New Bedford and that while some "tailoring" of boundaries may be necessary to avoid fisheries, the announcement represented "substantial progress."

By mid-June, after BOEM issued its proposed sale notice with the mapped wind energy areas, Mitchell said it was "disappointing" the agency refused to adopt "even the slightest refinements proposed by commercial fishermen."

"BOEM missed an opportunity to strike a fairer balance between the interests of the fishing and offshore wind industries," he said in a statement.

In August, Mitchell was still in direct contact with BOEM regarding development in the bight.Neil Mello, Mitchell's chief of staff, confirmed the mayor had a phone call with Lefton before the Aug. 6 meeting.

"The way that offshore wind development proceeds in the New York Bight is of critical importance to the Port of the New Bedford, so it behooves us to present as strong a case as possible to the federal government that fishing interests should be given priority consideration in ocean leasing decisions," Mitchell said in a statement to the Standard-Times last week.

MoreMeet the women of New Bedford's Waterfront: She finds safety and security for fishermen

BOEM expects toissue a final sale notice withlease sale specificslater this year, after thereview of public comments is completed. As of August, the agency forecasts a lease sale in late 2021 or early 2022.

Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, amembership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and companies, in a statement last week said it was encouraged by the responses from BOEM and Lefton during and after the meeting.

"RODA greatly appreciates Director Leftons reply and applauds her efforts to open a door to direct communications with fishing communities," read the statement.

Frulla said the situation is hopeful.Similar to RODA's comments, he noted the engagement from BOEM during the recent meetingwas at a level he has notseen before. However, hesaid the question remainsas to whether engagement with the fishing industrywill turn into action on its concerns.

Standard-Times reporter Anastasia E. Lennon can be reached at alennon@s-t.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @aelennon1. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

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New Bedford fishermen, officials question New York offshore wind areas as auction nears - SouthCoastToday.com

Last January, President Joe Biden signedanexecutive orderthat directed federal agencies to procure carbon pollution-free electricity."Now, developers are rushing to figure out where its safe and efficient to install offshore wind farms as thedepartments of Energy, Interior and Commerce revealed they were aiming forU.S. offshore wind capacity to hit 30 gigawatts(GW) by end of this decade.

Bedrock, a Richmond, California, start-up, has come up with an innovative solution for this search. It aims to map the seafloor using electric autonomous underwater vehicles (e-AUV) to find where it may be suitable and viable to install offshore wind farms, a report from CNBC reveals.

If the technology seems familiar it's because we have already seen something quite similar.Terradepth, a startup based in Austin, Texas, reported how it could soon send its autonomous submarine, Abraham, out to explore the oceans in a bid to democratize knowledge of the world's oceans.

In a press release, Terradepth explained that the initial phase one tests of Abraham "conclusively demonstrated that the companys uncrewed submersible could collect underwater data, process the data, understand features of import, and automatically retask itself with no human intervention."

Bedrock co-founder and CEO Anthony DiMare explained to CNBC how his new technology is somewhat similar. Bedrock's submarines forgo the need for traditional marine surveys that would require large ships and heavy sonar equipment, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and take up to a full year to produce results.

Instead, his companys electric mini-subs use lighter-weight sonar and other sensors and send their collected data to Bedrocks cloud-based service that is usable right away from a PC.

Bedrocks electric submarines are also eco-friendly as they run on lithium-ion batteries. But that does not limit them in any way as they can conduct surveys up to 985 feet (300 meters) in depth.

Finally, Bedrock is not just about scouring sites suitable for offshore wind power. It also has another lofty goal. On the firm's site, Bedrock states that the firm is "committed to providing the world with a free, publicly available map of our worlds oceans, 50x more detailed than the current best public map available."

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Autonomous Subs to Map the Seafloor For Suitable Offshore Wind Farm Locations - Interesting Engineering