USA - Alternative offshore energy

Beyond Florida's coastal waters are potential sources of energy besides oil and natural gas: The sun, the wind, waves and currents might also generate power. Someday, windmills could arise on the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Stream might turn generators. Platforms might be built to hold photovoltaic solar cells rather than oil or gas drills. Futuristic thinking? Not necessarily. Floridians should be aware of the federal government's rising interest in offshore "renewable resources," and join the discussion about their development. Last year's sharp increase in the cost of oil -- and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 -- sparked efforts to develop multiple offshore sources of energy. The media and Congress have focused on proposed expansion of oil and gas leasing areas, including those in the Gulf. Less attention has been paid to the potential for tapping sources of energy that are perpetually provided by nature. Indeed, the sun, wind and moving water hold the promise of clean, long-term sources of energy. Offshore renewable energy, however, is a new field that raises many questions about technologies, ownership of power sources and environmental impacts.

Controversy has arisen, for example, about a proposed windmill project off Nantucket Island. A private company, Cape Wind Associates, is seeking federal approval to construct 130 wind turbines, each standing 420 feet over the water in 24 square miles of Massachusetts' Nantucket Sound. Environmentalists and alternative energy groups favour the project, according to the Environmental News Service, but some owners of land that would be within sight of the turbines are opposed. So are some commercial fishing boat operators. Opinions on wind power, wave power and any other issue deemed pertinent by the public are being sought by the Minerals Management Agency, an arm of the Interior Department. The Energy Act of 2005 gives the agency control over offshore development of energy.

Information about the program can be found at: https//ocsconnect.mms.gov.

Comments can be made on the Web site, or mailed to: Minerals Management Service, Attention: RPT, 381 Elden Street, MS- 4024, Herndon, Va. 20170-4817.