The Department of Land Conservation and Development is hosting a series of community meetings along the Oregon coast to share information and hear comments on a proposal by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to lease areas of the ocean off Oregon’s coast to explore possibilities for wind energy development.
The proposed leases would authorize companies to study the areas off Oregon’s coast for potential offshore wind energy development projects. After obtaining leases, companies would perform activities in the ocean that may include placement of scientific buoys and collection of data about seafloor conditions, ocean habitats, and wildlife.
More information on the proposed leasing actions can be found at the agency’s website.
BOEM’s proposed leasing action is not a proposal to permit the construction of an offshore wind project, the state said in a news release announcing the community meetings. A bureau decision whether to approve a construction and operations plan for a wind energy facility would be subject to a separate federal consistency review by the state, after some years of additional site assessment and project design.
As part of Oregon’s review authority under the Coastal Zone Management Act, the state agency’s coastal management staff will review the proposed BOEM actions for consistency with current, enforceable coastal zone policies. The result of this review would be either to agree with BOEM’s proposed leasing actions, agree with conditions, or object to BOEM’s proposed actions.
During the community meetings, state agency staff will provide information about the proposed activities that are being reviewed and the applicable state policies and authorities related to a consistency review. Community members are encouraged to provide comments on the consistency review during the 45-day comment period, which ends on June 15.
The state said its community meetings are an opportunity to provide in-person comments. People should plan to limit comments to three minutes. If many people wish to comment, LCDC staff may need to limit comment time further in order to hear from as many community members as possible.
The meetings consist of an open house at 5:30 p.m., a presentation at 6 p.m. and public comments from 6:30-8 p.m. Locations are:
- Wednesday, May 29: Noon to 3 p.m.; virtual meeting via the LCDC’s web page
- June 3: Brookings-Harbor High School, Brookings;
- June 4: Sunset Middle School, Coos Bay;
- June 6: Siuslaw Middle School, Florence; and
- June 7: Newport High School, Newport.
Comments will be accepted through June 15.
Email or written comments: For more information on the federal consistency review and how to comment, go here
Online comments: Comments may be submitted online through a webform here.
