NOIA- API Comment Letter to the Revised Draft Framework for Developing the National System of MPAs.

NOIA today submitted comments to the Minerals Management Service (MMS) in response to their request for comments on the Cape Wind Energy Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).  In the summary of those comments, NOIA argued that:

NOIA members represent the broad diversity of ingenuity; specialization and technological pioneering that drive the production of traditional offshore energy today, and will drive the production of alternative and renewable offshore energy in the future.  Therefore, NOIA supports the environmentally sound development of renewable and alternative energy sources on the OCS.  However, we caution that such projects should not conflict with any valid existing rights on the OCS as they move forward. NOIA applauds the thoroughness of the Cape Wind Energy Project DEIS prepared by MMS, and recommends the project be approved in a timely manner.   While the principal focus of NOIA has been offshore oil and natural gas production, we also recognize that offshore alternative energy of all types promises to provide an additional source of future contributions to our nation’s growing energy needs in the future.    

To read the full text of the comments, click here.