The Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS) Award Number: DE-EE0006518 CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.1, B3.16 Water Power Program Date: 8/9/2016 Location(s): OR Office(s): Golden Field Office
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
August 11, 2016
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The Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS)
Award Number: DE-EE0006518
CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.1, B3.16
Water Power Program
Date: 8/9/2016
Location(s): OR
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide federal funding to Oregon State University (OSU) to evaluate and validate the facility siting, design, construction and operational requirements for open-ocean, grid-connected wave energy conversion (WEC) device testing and performance certification/validation at the Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS).
Tasks 1 through 6, subtasks 7.1, 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.2.4, 7.2.5, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 9.1, and Task 10 of the proposed project have been previously reviewed and received NEPA determinations (GFO-0006518-001 CX A9, 11/5/2014; and GFO-0006518-002, CX A9 and B3.1, 12/17/2015). This NEPA determination applies to the remaining subtasks as described in the revised, final SOPO. These are:
Subtask 7.2.6. - Wetland Survey
Subtask 7.2.7 - Cultural Survey
Subtask 8.5 - Geotechnical and Test Core Surveys
Subtask 8.6 - Analysis of Survey Results
Subtask 9.2 - HDD Route Surveys
Subtask 9.3 - Analysis of HDD Route Survey Results
The focus of the survey work described below is to determine possible routes for a power cable. Subtasks 7.2.6, 7.2.7, 8.5, and 9.2 could potentially necessitate terrestrial ground disturbance and disturbance in the near shore area of the ocean (nearshore would be up to 0.75 miles from shore and in water up to a depth of 16 meters), both of which have the potential to impact ecological and/or cultural resources. The project site for these surveys would be Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site (Driftwood), the ocean directly off Driftwood, as well as a potential site for a power connection facility located near Driftwood; on Legion Road to the east of Highway 101. Total terrestrial survey area would be approximately 0.20 square miles, while total ocean survey area would be approximately 0.13 square miles.