UK and US Issue Big Reports on Marine Renewables...Analysis to Follow

This month, both the UK and the US took major steps forward in creation of a comprehensive system for the development of offshore wind, wave and tidal, while at the same time, ensuring adequate protection of the environment. Across the pond, the UK just issued a Marine Bill White Paperprepared by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. According to this Reuters article,
Britain looks to boost wind, wave and tidal power (March 15, 2007) "the white paper policy document, which is open for public consultation until June, proposes a strategic marine planning system to set national objectives and priorities for offshore developments. It also aims to speed up the marine licensing process and create a new oversight body, the Marine Management Organization, to ensure that proposals for wind and wave power developments are in the right place and do not threaten wildlife."

Meanwhile, here in the US, the MMS has issued its long awaited draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, for development of alternative energy resources on the OSC.

For those enterprising readers who choose to crack open either the UK or US document, you'll see that both are huge - and I haven't had time to do much more than skim the executive summary sections. Preliminarily, it seems that the UK is still well ahead; it's already proposing a new regulatory scheme, while MMS' DEIS evaluates regulations that still haven't yet been proposed. But both programs are a step in the right direction towards facilitating siting of offshore renewables while safeguarding the environment. Once I've had a chance to digest these documents, I'll follow with a longer report.