Who’s involved with wave energy development off the Oregon Coast?
There are many state and federal agencies with some regulatory authority over wave energy development. Within Oregon’s Territorial Sea (0 to 3 miles offshore), the lead state agency is the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL). DSL owns (on behalf of the State of Oregon) the seafloor off the Oregon Coast. The State Land Board oversees DSL and is the decision making body (Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer). Wave energy developers must acquire a lease from DSL for the rights to occupy a tract of ocean bottom for a wave energy facility. Wave energy developers also need to acquire an easement from DSL to deploy electricity transmission cables to shore. And, they need a Removal-Fill Permit from DSL. On the federal side, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the main federal agency with licensing authority over wave energy in Oregon’s Territorial Sea (under the Federal Power Act [FPA]). Beyond three miles, in federal waters, the Department of Interior (DOI), through
