SENATORS ANNOUNCE $2 MILLION GRANT TO UNIVERSITY

October 15, 2021 3:20 a.m.

On Thursday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that Oregon State University will receive a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy to study the impact of offshore winds on the environment.

Merkley said, “Moving rapidly to a clean energy future requires having the best and brightest minds provide robust research on ways to make that vision a reality”. Merkley said he is pleased that OSU will use the grant to lead efforts on offshore wind development research and find ways for offshore wind to safely coexist with wildlife and fisheries.

Wyden said, “Offshore wind presents a key piece of a greener future, and I’m thrilled that OSU has earned this federal investment to apply its top-notch research in Newport to this clean energy source”. He said he is glad that the Energy Department has recognized that OSU can provide the research and data “…to ensure the development of this clean and sustainable energy source doesn’t hurt our state’s world-renowned coastal fisheries and wildlife”.

The release said the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under the Department of Energy and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will administer the grant, along with other energy and ocean wildlife organizations.