Oregon Senators, Governor respond to offshore wind farms concerns during clean energy tour

SALEM, Ore. — During a clean energy tour of Oregon, KATU questioned the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Governor Kate Brown on issues surrounding wind farms slated for the Southern Oregon Coast.

"It's too early honestly we don't know it's a lot like the wave energy technology it's still being built it's still being created," said Oregon Gov. Kate Brown when asked if she would advocate funding for preliminary wind farm testing ahead of federal leases planed for Southern Oregon offshore areas.

The convoy was visiting a wave energy testing site at Oregon State University's College of Engineering as the final leg of its Clean Energy Tour of Oregon. The University received a $25million dollar federal grant to erect a grid-connected wave energy test site off the coast of Newport.

The project will be the first commercial-scale wave energy testing site in the U.S. and will measure impacts of this type of structure to marine life.

The commercial fishing industry along the Southern Oregon Coast is asking for the same type of model study to be conducted for wind energy before the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) grants leases to private energy companies for large floating turbines.

"We really need to understand all of the impacts upfront before we rush into this," said Heather Mann Executive Director of the Midwater Trawlers' cooperative. Stakeholders of Oregon's Commercial Fishing industry have been vocal in their opposition to a wind farm project since BOEM announced the call areas, encompassing a total of over a million acres, off the coast of Brookings and Coos Bay.

Mann said the industry is not opposed to clean energy but does not agree with BOEM's leasing process. The federal agency is currently accepting public comment on the project before narrowing down which portions of the larger call zone it will open up to private leasing. Once bids are submitted and granted it will conduct project-specific environmental impact statements.

Stakeholders have voiced concerns that the agency is not conducting a broader environmental impact study on the entire call area before granting leases. Mann said she believes BOEM's process is "putting the cart before the horse" because once leases are granted and money is spent she doesn't feel the agency will do it's due diligence in testing impacts to the environment and fishermen's access to some of the world's richest fisheries.

"That is where prime fishing takes place in fact there is no where within the two call areas that someone hasn't fished some commercial species in," Mann said. "What the process is doing right now is pitting fishermen against fishermen to prove that our fisheries are more important, you know, 'throw them out but keep keep this part for us.'"

Granholm did not respond to KATU's questions about the project that were directed to the entire convoy. Brown pointed out that floating wind turbines the likes of which would be put in in Sothern Oregon are nascent technology.

"Are there models across the world yes, absolutely has it been successful in other places yes but I it's obviously dependent upon particular locales particular wind energy at the location," she said. "I think we don't know what exactly it's going to look like at this point and so that is why the modelling is challenging from my perspective,"

When asked whether she'd advocate for commercial scale prototypes to be tested in Oregon waters before leasing, Brown said "that I can't respond to because it's a federal process."

During public hearings BOEM has noted that the reason it is looking to lease Oregon's offshore waters is because state lawmakers, including Brown, requested that the state be included in federal ocean energy harvesting projects. The federal agency has indicated that it would take state leaders' input into consideration.

Wyden and Merkley both noted that they are responsive to the stakeholders' concerns about wind farming and believe there is a solution that will work for all parties.

"Every step we are going to be sensitive to those fishing families and the tribes, we've heard the message loud and clear I've got it in open meetings," Wyden said. "Senator Merkley and I are in a position to make sure this job gets done right and we are in the middle of talking to the tribes and talking to the fishing families and that is what we see as our job."

Wyden and Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR-04) penned a letter to BOEM in June asking the agency to conduct a full Environmental Impact Study of the entire call areas before deciding which parts to open for lease.