August 11, 2023 10:20 a.m.

On Friday, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle said they are urging federal officials – if draft wind energy areas for the Oregon coast are released – to schedule three public meetings on the coast for public review and to double the comment period from thirty days to sixty days.

A joint release said the letter with those requests to Bureau of Ocean Management Director Elizabeth Klein, comes in response to concern from coastal communities, the fishing industry and Tribes that their voices have been left out of the process to develop wind energy areas along the south coast.

The letter said, “Deploying clean energy is imperative to move our country forward and meet our climate goals, but its also important to have robust community engagement throughout the entire process to ensure any project is done responsibly”.

Members of the Oregon delegation wrote the agency in June 2022 with their concerns that the Tribes, coastal communities, and fishing communities had been left out of the initial planning process – and reiterated those same concerns last month.

The full letter from lawmakers is linked: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/boem_letter.pdf