• Nine Indications of Interest Received in Response to the Federal Request for Interest

  Map of Developer Interest in MD RFI Area

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  In response to BOEMRE’s Request for Interest (RFI) published on November 9, 2010, nine indications of interest from eight parties were received wishing to obtain a commercial lease for a wind energy project in federal waters adjacent to Maryland's Atlantic Coast. BOEMRE has initiated a review of these parties’ submissions to assess filing completeness; evaluate legal, technical, and financial qualifications to hold an OCS renewable energy commercial lease; and, determine competitive interest.

  
  

  The parties and the OCS blocks nominated for development, along with documents, presentations and comments on the federal leasing process in Maryland, can all be viewed on BOEMRE’s State Activities webpage for Maryland: You can also click on the thumbnail image below, “Map of Developer Interest in MD RFI Area”, to view a map developed by DNR illustrating the locations for commercial indications of interest.

  
  

• Governor O'Malley Testifies in Support of the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011

  http://www.governor.maryland.gov/pressreleases/110303.asp

  
  

• Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011: Facts & Figures

  Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011: Facts & Figures
  http://www.energy.state.md.us/documents/offshorewindfactsheet.pdf

  
  

• DOI Secretary Salazar Launches “Smart from the Start” Initiative

  The U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) Secretary Salazar has launched a “Smart from the Start” Initiative to speed the development of offshore wind energy off the Atlantic Coast. In a DOI press release, Secretary Salazar noted that the “‘Smart from the Start’ Initiative for Atlantic wind will allow…[DOI] to identify priority Wind Energy Areas for potential development, improve… coordination with local, state, and federal partners, and accelerate the leasing process.” More information about what this means for offshore wind energy development can be found on BOEMRE’s “Smart from the Start” webpage and in this fact sheet. Click here to view the full press release.

  
  

• Request For Interest Issued by Federal Government

  On November 8th, 2010, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) announced a significant step forward in its efforts to bring offshore wind power generation to Maryland’s coast. The federal government, which controls the Outer Continental Shelf, accepted the planning recommendations of the Maryland Offshore Wind Task Force. As a result, it issued a Request for Interest (RFI) and a map of an offshore wind leasing area in federal waters adjacent to Maryland's Atlantic Coast in the Federal Register. BOEMRE accepted comments about the RFI wind leasing area through January 10^th, 2011. Click here to view the Federal Register Notice.

  
  

Map illustrating RFI area and select DNR data

Map showing the Request For Interest

In Focus

The State’s Role and Stakeholder Outreach Efforts

Since 2009, DNR has been working with resource experts, user groups, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) to compile data and information about habitats, human uses, and resources in Maryland’s Atlantic Ocean. Using the state’s foundation of ocean data and information, ocean planning tools were used to help identify areas most suitable for various types of activities in order to reduce conflict among uses, facilitate compatible uses, and reduce environmental impacts to preserve crucial ecosystem services. Offshore wind has the potential to be an ocean use that will require the State to balance multiple uses in the ocean. An ocean planning approach and mapping related to offshore wind was developed in Maryland to address this potential use.

Using the results of this approach, Maryland was able to make recommendations to the Maryland Offshore Wind Task Force about the RFI map area for offshore wind. As a result, Maryland was able to provide guidance that will help avoid many natural resource and human use conflicts early on in the siting process.

Two public open houses were hosted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Energy Administration in April 2010 to discuss the future of our ocean and to provide citizens an opportunity to learn about the State’s ocean mapping and planning efforts, with a focus on offshore renewable energy.