The Oregon Chapters of Surfrider Foundation have been involved with wave energy development and the territorial sea planning process for over 5 years now. While the process and terminology can often sound a bit "policy wonky", here we make an attempt to review in simple terms how this process came about, why we got involved and a bit more on our engagement through the years.
The fact is, the Territorial Sea planning process, as complicated as it actually can be, is pretty simple in its goals. To put it shortly, it’s a planning process for the ocean’s nearshore (0-3 miles) for potential development projects. This process was prompted by the fast and growing interest of wave energy companies proposing development projects along our coastline (2007-2008) and was initiated through an agreement between the state of Oregon and the federal government. In response to that interest, Surfrider began reaching out to our Oregon members and chapters to gauge their interest (perspective?) in wave and ocean energy projects. After about 6 months of outreach and discussion we drafted an Oregon statement from our members on wave energy, which eventually led to our entire organization and board of directors developing an organizational policy on ocean renewable energy:
Surfrider Foundation Environmental Policy on Ocean Renewable Energy
Interest grew amongst various stakeholders over the past few years prompting mapping efforts of existing ocean uses like boating, fishing, surfing, etc. In an effort to help identify and protect important recreational areas, we initiated a study in order to demonstrate spatially credible data on: what activities people participate in; where these activities occur; and the relative intensity of these activities in each area. Surfrider partnered with state agencies to conduct this study and you can learn more about the study and it's findings here:
Surfrider non-consumptive recreational ocean use study.
Along the way Surfrider has secured a seat on the Territorial Sea Plan Advisory Committee for non-consumptive ocean recreational uses. Our goal in the process is to secure spatial protections for priority ecological and recreational areas in Oregon’s Territorial Sea (0-3miles) through the State’s comprehensive planning process. Follow the below link to read our campaign one pager: