The Creation of a Regulatory Regime for Offshore Wind Energy in the United States

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 empowered the Secretary of the Interior through the Minerals Management Service to regulate the development of renewable energy on the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States. The goal of this paper is to review the development of offshore wind energy and develop a set of recommendations for the Minerals Management Service as it proceeds with the development of regulations for renewable energy generation on the Outer Continental Shelf. In creating recommendations for the Minerals Management Service, the historical uses of the Outer Continental Shelf, proposals for wind energy development in the United States, and wind energy development in Europe were reviewed. A substantial portion of this Masters Project was submitted to the Minerals Management Service in the public comment period that closed on February 28, 2006. A copy of the comments as submitted to the Minerals Management Service is available from the author upon request.