ENOUGH OCEAN FOR EVERYONE? Part 1: Fishermen and local jurisdictions have questions about the potential impacts of wave energy parks By Denise Ruttan Siuslaw News July 11, 2007 Coastal communities have been riding the wave of renewable ocean energy this year, but after the excitement over the cutting edge technology sets in many on the Oregon coast, and especially in Florence, have been left with more questions than answers. To fill in the blanks, traditionally disparate groups along the coast have been organizing so they can get a seat at the table. In Florence the process is still in its most infantile stages. An Australian company, Oceanlinx, has filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit off the coast of the Florence area. Local jurisdictions have 60 days from June 14 to file for status as an intervenor, which gives them that seat at the table and greater weight as a stakeholder in discussions and hearings. “It makes the process smoother for FERC and for the applicants,” said Therese Hampton, speaking both of filing as an intervenor and going through the Oregon Solutions process. Hampton is a project manager for Oregon Solutions, an independent facilitator that has been working with Reedsport stakeholders who are going through the wave park permitting process. “FERC likes to know that a company has taken the time to understand local issues rather than a federal commission in Washington looking at those issues on paper.” If approved, the preliminary permit would allow Oceanlinx to conduct research, but not actually build any equipment. To pursue that next step, they must file for another permit, and after that, for a draft license to construct the park. They have six to nine months to undertake feasibility studies as part of the initial step and talk with community stakeholders, according to a press release from Oceanlinx. The main question that local communities want answered has to do with potential impacts – positive and negative – and environmental as well as economic effects. And at the forefront of coastal discussions is the impact, positive or negative, on the Oregon fishing industry and in particular crabbers, who worry that the prime locations for wave energy parks are also prime crabbing grounds – the first three miles or so of ocean on sandy sea floors. Making the discussion more tenuous, Oregon fishermen are at a fragile time of transition into a more sustainable future. They have concerns about access and mobility when questions have also been raised recently about the prospect of marine reserves. “I am all for wave energy, but it will take up a lot of ground in the ocean. We need to be aware and have input,” said Bud Saulsgiver, a Florence-based commercial fisherman and past president of the Siuslaw Fisherman’s Association (SFA). He said the SFA plans to file as an intervenor. The city of Florence as well as the Port of Siuslaw are currently seeking intervenor status. “Currently, the port wants to make sure that we have a seat at the table when the discussion goes to the next level,” said Port of Siuslaw commissioner Frank Casazza. “There’s a lot of variables at play here ... a lot of impacts that need to be addressed.” City councilor Nola Xavier serves as the council’s point person for wave energy and is their liaison to the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association (OCZMA) that has been at the forefront of coastal wave energy issues. She said the city has not had any contact yet with Oceanlinx, but the city will be filing for intervenor status. “We’re waiting to see what’s developing,” said Xavier. “From the city’s standpoint, I’m interested in what the benefits will be to Florence citizens. Renewable energy is an exciting possibility; any way we can reduce our carbon footprint is good for all of us. On the other side of that, what is the potential for harm?” West Lane Commissioner Bill Fleenor said the county is waiting to see what develops before it considers applying for intervenor status. “Lane County is waiting for input from local stakeholders as to the level of involvement they feel we should take,” said Fleenor. “I’m a firm believer in having local input before the county gets involved.” In a time of financial transition over an issue that the county has limited jurisdiction over, added Fleenor, the county wants local jurisdictions to prioritize their needs first. Florence crabber Al Pazar, also chairman of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, said the whole coast has been swept up in the wave energy movement. “There’s a mad scramble by energy development companies to get permitted and have placeholders,” said Pazar. Add what Pazar called Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s “aggressive” approach to renewable energy, placing renewable energy at the top of statewide priority lists in the past year. Kulongoski recently signed a renewable energy portfolio that included a goal of achieving 25 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2025. In a press release, Kulongoski called the bill “the most significant environmental legislation that we can enact in more than 30 years.” Federally, the U.S. House of Representative’s Science and Technology Committee recently passed a bill to invest about $200 million in wave energy research in the form of grants from the Department of Energy. “Renewable energy is a good thing,” said Pazar. But it could also mean “a permanent displacement of fishing grounds,” he said. “The areas that are the best for energy development are also the best for crabbing.” If one wave park has 200 buoys and is about four to five miles long and a half mile wide, anchored to the bottom of the sea floor, said Pazar, what happens when there are 20 similar wave parks on the coast? It looks like a big ocean at first blush, but is there room for fishermen and renewable energy? Several companies have already applied for permits, with more likely on the way. Oregon State University is at the forefront of research into the technology and the Pacific Ocean’s unusual consistency is good news for renewable energy companies. Oregon State University professors Annette von Jouanne and Alan Wallace have been leaders in wave energy research. von Jouanne and Wallace have helped develop direct drive ocean buoys capable of converting ocean waves into electrical energy. Information from OSU estimates that a site off Reedsport targeted for a wave energy project could power about 20 percent of the state’s total electrical needs. According to a press release, Oceanlinx would use an Oscillating Water Column (OWC)-based unit that they have tested over the past two years at a facility in coastal Australia. According to information from the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry, oscillating water column-based units are one of three common types of wave energy installations. Oscillating water columns are “partially submerged, hollow structures installed in the ocean.” Waves cause the water column to rise and fall, which in turn compresses and decompresses the air column. The trapped air is allowed through the atmosphere via a turbine, the rotation of which generates electricity in an onshore substation. Pazar said that dialogue is an important component of the process. “We’ve been trying to work with them and work out compensation to have less effect on the fishing industry,” said Pazar. Compensation is something that Saulsgiver wants to see as well. Restricted access would mean profit losses, he said. “It would exclude a lot of real estate in the ocean that we couldn’t fish in,” said Saulsgiver. Meetings up and down the coast have brought together fishermen as well as environmental groups and private industry to talk about potential impacts. Lincoln County has taken an aggressive lead, filing for a preliminary exploratory permit that was denied recently, and Reedsport’s public meeting process has seen active participation by diverse sectors in the community. The U.S. company Ocean Power Technology, with corporate headquarters in New Jersey and a joint venture in development for a wave farm in Spain, is undergoing the permit process in the Reedsport/Gardiner area. The process in Florence and other parts of the coast is still early. No one knows exactly how much access would be restricted from fishermen, if at all; nor is it known what the relationship between the fishing industry and the renewable energy industry would look like in the future. Stakeholders hesitate making predictions about the future because no one has tried wave energy before. It is about 10 to 15 years behind wind energy technology, and development everywhere in the world is still very preliminary. “It’s a new field. There are a high degree of unknowns out there,” said Reedsport city manager Rick Hohnbaum. “There has been open dialogue across the board,” said Port of Siuslaw commissioner Joshua Greene, who is excited about the potential of wave energy resources. “There has been no precedent set of how to do this ... the more people talk, the less people gossip. Right now we are challenged to put our best feet forward as a team of responsible citizens. You have to be willing to learn from your mistakes and keep going.” ENOUGH OCEAN FOR EVERYONE? Part 2 of 3: Reedsport and the Oregon Solutions process By Denise Ruttan Siuslaw News July 21, 2007 As Florence and the rest of the coast looks ahead at options as developers of Oregon’s wave energy resources enter the picture in the coming months, collaboration has quickly become a buzzword for stakeholders in the process. Perhaps nowhere is collaboration more evident than in Reedsport in recent months. Further along in the permit process than other coastal communities, Reedsport has approached the wave energy question within a unique framework called Oregon Solutions. Billing itself “Community-based collaboration for sustainability,” Oregon Solutions is a program based out of Portland State University that grew out of the state’s Sustainability Act of 2001. Now a part of the National Policy Consensus Center at PSU, the program offers independent mediation for projects that require the interaction of groups that might not otherwise sit at the same table – such as wave energy, which in Reedsport brought together commercial fishermen, environmental groups and representatives from a variety of governmental levels. Though the program is a non-profit and neutral project, Gov. Ted Kulongoski designates projects for the Oregon Solutions framework. According to Therese Hampton, Oregon Solutions project manager, the Reedsport project is a typical Oregon Solutions undertaking. Elsewhere on the coast, an Oregon Solutions project team helped stakeholders complete construction on the North Bend Airport Terminal. In Lincoln City, Oregon Solutions is currently helping stakeholders site and develop an Oregon coast weather station. And in Tillamook, Oregon Solutions project managers are working with the local community on a flooding reduction project for the Tillamook basin. “First, there has to be a problem or opportunity designated by a community,” said Hampton. “And is there a sustainable objective that the community wants to reach?” The process would also designate a neutral convenor or co-convenors, who bring stakeholders to the table that then become a team who discusses problems and impacts. An “Oregon Solutions team” would consist of federal, state, local and other government entities, businesses, non-profits and citizens who can “contribute to a solution,” according to the program’s Web site. This team is responsible for developing an “integrated solution” and a “declaration of cooperation,” which is an overall mission statement that initiates a plan of action for the community. “The role of Oregon Solutions is to be that neutral forum,” said Hampton. “...Anybody ready to be involved works together to come up with collaborative solutions.” The ultimate goal of the process is to come up with a “declaration of cooperation,” which Hampton called a nonbinding agreement between parties. “In the declaration of cooperation, everyone says this is what I’m willing to do for our project,” said Hampton. “The declaration is a lot of good advance work for developers to understand the issues and work with stakeholders to minimize impacts.” The Reedsport process started long before Oregon Solutions came to the table, said mayor and Port of Umpqua commissioner Keith Tymchuk. Over two years ago Reedsport was designated as a promising site for wave energy development in Oregon State University studies. The infrastructure available on the coast was favorable for wave energy development, mostly thanks to the remnants of the former International Paper (IP) mill operation in Gardiner. For example, the paper mill treated its own wastewater with a fluid line that was already in place said Tymchuk. There was also a substation available several hundred yards from the mill site. These factors, said Tymchuk, gave the Reedsport/Gardiner area an “added advantage.” Tymchuk, a former high school teacher, became extremely interested in the potential of wave energy development when the cutting-edge renewable energy resource was first becoming a hot topic in Oregon. He attended meetings across the state and became well-versed about the issues. He was excited about the idea and the opportunities it might bring to the central coast. Last fall, Tymchuk was contacted about the possibility of participating in the Oregon Solutions process, and the Reedsport/Gardiner area was designated as an Oregon Solutions project by the offices of the governor. He became a co-convenor along with State Sen. Joanne Verger (D-Coos Bay). Regular meetings were held involving a variety of community stakeholders, including commercial fishermen. As many as 40 people packed rooms to talk about the issues and their concerns, including wide representation from the local fishing industry. “There was a wide body of involvement,” said Tymchuk. “The Oregon Solutions process tried to identify all potential problems that could come about and arrive at a consensus.” Added Reedsport city manager Rick Hohnbaum, “We’re trying to provide a more unified position and trying to reach a consensus prior to the FERC process. They might look more favorably if we look like we’re making a concertive effort to involve everyone on the front end, engaging in discussions and trying to reach conclusions.” At first, said Hampton, people had lots of questions about wave energy. Unlike wind or solar technology, wave energy is a relatively new field. Oregon in particular is catching the preliminary wave of a prospect that has yet to take the U.S. by storm. The group came up with a 10-page document identifying potential impacts and concerns. They also outlined commitments they were willing to make to the future of the process. Reedsport stakeholders were concerned about a variety of issues: aquatic/water quality issues, public safety/recreation issues, fishing and crabbing issues, and other more generalized issues such as erosion and cultural resources. In the document they developed a summary of the issue and included a “next step” – a solution-based approach to the identified problem. For example, one aquatic concern proposed by stakeholders had to do with seabird nesting. The PowerBuoy design proposed by Ocean Power Technologies “may provide a nesting opportunity for seabirds,” the document said. It proposed as a solution the need to develop “design alternatives” that could be “evaluated during settlement discussions.” This was one specific concern among a wide range that included anything from seabird oil leakage impact, noise and vibration, system survivability, wave strength attenuation and erosion/accretion concerns. Ocean Power Technologies, the New Jersey-based company that is pursuing a wave energy project off Gardiner, uses different technology than the Florence project proposed by Energetech, the Connecticut-based subsidiary of the Australian company Oceanlinx. Ocean Power Technologies uses a PowerBuoy computer-based system – an offshore wave energy converter, most of which is under the surface of the ocean, according to the company’s Web site. The piston-like structure inside the converter moves as the PowerBuoy bobs with the rise and fall of the waves. The movement drives a generator, which produces electricity, sent to shore by an underwater cable. Energetech/Oceanlinx’s proposal is an electrical power generator which uses an oscillating water column as a base turbine. Its preliminary permit filed with the federal energy regulatory commission (FERC) on June 14 proposes a site one to 2.9 miles offshore near Florence. Overall, Reedsport stakeholders report the process has been going smoothly. Tymchuk said they probably would have come together without Oregon Solutions, but they have been satisfied with the results so far. Hohnbaum said the process has been a unique experience that has been going well. “It has been wavebreaking as far as how many people have gotten involved,” said Hohnbaum. “Considering the dynamics of everyone involved and the diversity of the leadership, this process has been going very well. The level of communication and commitment has been very unique.” Hampton said the process has been going smoothly, as groups that haven’t necessarily organized on the same scale in the past have been getting together to unify on discussions. “It makes the process smoother for both FERC and the applicants,” said Hampton. Tymchuk as well had only positive comments. “Oregon Solutions is a way to bring affected stakeholders to the table and engage in identifying solutions and problems,” said Tymchuk. “...It sets a template of how wave energy developers and local groups in the community, the state and county level can work together.” He said the city’s communication with Ocean Power Technologies has been going smoothly as well. “They’ve been absolutely first-rate,” said Tymchuk. “They have been tremendous at engaging the community. They’ve been forthright and upfront.” Hampton said stakeholders can file as an intervenor as well as participate in the Oregon Solutions process. “By engaging in the Oregon Solutions process it doesn’t limit a jurisdiction’s ability to file as an intervenor,” said Hampton. Currently, Reedsport is at the settlement stage in the process, in which Ocean Power Technologies works with stakeholders and gathers public input for the FERC requirements. Groups interested in the process can make a request to Oregon Solutions, said Hampton. “They need to clearly define a problem or opportunity and have a sustainable community objective. They also need to demonstrate that there’s a fairly broad level of support and interest,” she said. They can then either approach Oregon Solutions or the governor’s office, and an assessment will be made whether the project fits the Oregon Solutions template. Oregon Solutions has a Web site at www.orsolutions.org. Tymchuk said he remains positive about the future, and he’s still enthusiastic about the potential that wave energy could bring to the coast. “I’m hopeful that we can continue to work together and arrive at a mutually agreeable place between wave energy developers and community stakeholders,” said Tymchuk. ENOUGH OCEAN FOR EVERYONE? Part 3 of 3: OCZMA director talks about the future of wave energy for the coast By Denise Ruttan Siuslaw News August 1, 2007 It sounds like science fiction when Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association (OCZMA) director Onno Husing talks about the “speculative use of the ocean” – whether it’s developing the coast’s wave energy potential, or the prospect of marine reserves, and the complications and conflicts associated with each. But Husing is talking about a reality that’s happening now inside a system still facing the past – and putting interest and opportunity into a feasible framework in order to move forward. And part of that is bringing a diversity of stakeholders to the table. “Current regulations deal with known facilities with known impacts, but over the large expanse of ocean off the whole coast, the impacts aren’t known,” said Husing. “You need an impact analysis. You can’t ask the fishing industry to say yes or no until it’s known what other parks would be coming to the coast. “How can you know the impact if there’s no overall coordination of everything that’s going on? You have to lock in some knowns.” Husing said he thought a large part of that coordination should be developing a “comprehensive framework” at the state level. How many wave parks should be allowed, and how extensive should they be? “If there is a state plan in place for an overall approach to wave energy, then the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has to honor that,” said Husing. “You need a comprehensive framework for how to go about doing this.” The state, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski, have prioritized wave energy as an as yet untapped renewable resource. The Oregon Department of Energy listed benefits of a public/private partnership on a web site about renewable energy. “Oregon has the opportunity to lead the nation in ocean renewable energy development,” said the ODE. But there is no comprehensive plan in place for the whole coast. Husing said you can’t talk about coordination at the state level without the involvement of local groups. “Local communities have a big role in helping determine that planning process,” said Husing. That’s already happening up and down the coast in informal ways, he said. In Reedsport, the Oregon Solutions process has brought together a variety of local stakeholders – environmental groups, fishing groups, government entities. Fishing committees are organizing in Newport and Reesdport on a broad level, on cross-industry lines. The last time a similar level of inter-coastal collaboration happened inside the fishing industry, said Husing, was during the Brand Oregon campaign of 2003-04, a cooperative state-of-origin seafood marketing program that OCZMA helped organize. The other “dilemma” facing the coast and wave energy, said Husing, is the difficulty of working within a statutory framework that hasn’t adapted to evolving future needs. Something like the Federal Power Act, which oversees federal regulation and development of power, but doesn’t talk about hydroelectric facilities in the ocean, said Husing – and is more limited to mostly relicensing options for facilities such as dams in rivers. “You really need a comprehensive analysis,” said Husing. He said that can’t happen without including in that analysis the possibilities and potential impacts of marine reserves, or marine protected areas, which would happen in offshore areas, the first zero to three miles of seabed. “It’s not going to be easy,” said Husing. “People look at that ocean and they say, ‘Wow, it’s big. There must be enough space for everyone.’ But the question is how do we share that space?” Wave energy has the potential to be a multi-billion dollar industry, he said. It has the potential to benefit from public/private partnerships. It has a lot of potential on a variety of planes. “We’re conflicted on some levels. It sounds like a great idea,” said Husing. “The potential is enormous.” Husing likes the idea of creating jobs for the coast. He supports the concept of reducing industry’s carbon footprint and developing independent sources of energy. “But how’s it going to happen, and at what cost, to the fishing industry and to the environment?” said Husing. “It’s about trying to create a win-win.” And it’s about an industry that’s facing a historical transition period. It’s about recognizing that crabbing is a vital part of Oregon’s coastal economy. And it’s about acknowledging the successes of an industry that’s reviving itself and looking to the future in uncertain times, he said. “I have an image of a plane crash victim emerging from burning fuselage – and now additional things are thrown at [the fishing industry] even though there’s a transition toward a sustainable industry going on,” said Husing. Sustainability is about selective gear and regulations, and bringing back what once was nearly lost through careful control. “The real big untold story in Oregon is that the fishing industry has completely changed,” said Husing. “It’s a much smaller, more sustainable industry.” The ocean is not dying, Husing said. The ocean is thriving. But it’s a fragile future. And that should be a factor, he said. “It’s going to be a matter of striking a balance,” said Husing. “...It’s all about protecting yourself for the future.” He said it’s still early in the process for the wave energy industry. It’s about 10 to 15 years behind wind and solar technology, so it’s still an expensive undertaking. “It’s a daunting prospect,” said Husing. And it is something not undertaken lightly by companies looking to break into the potential, he said. “We’re entering a period where there’s an early rush to say this is a great thing for Oregon, and there’s no doubt that’s been the signal to the wave industry,” said Husing. What’s coming for Florence is baseline environmental reviews, environmental impact statements, a pilot project, studies, research and public meetings. “It’s only a matter of time before Oceanlinx is serious,” said Husing. “We’re going to learn a lot. If anybody tells you they know how these things are going to play out, they’re not telling the truth. “I’m encouraged that the Port of Siuslaw and the city of Florence and the county commissioners are being proactive here. That’s the kind of leadership we need so that entities in Western Lane County can sit at the table, helping to shape how this goes forward.” He said Florence may not be a key fishing ground on the coast, but it plays a part in the overall future the coast faces – whether it’s maintaining a sustainable fishing industry, or renewable energy. “The fishing industry needs to be at the table in broad discussions,” said Husing. “The state of Oregon needs to be understanding of the fishing industry’s concerns.” Overall, Husing said he remains optimistic about the future. He sees movement already happening in a positive direction. “We’re all keeping our fingers crossed and hoping this can become a true win-win,” said Husing. “A lot of work needs to be done to articulate a framework where that kind of win-win can happen.”