National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium - CEC-NOWRDC Offshore Wind Block Grant Program

Summary

SCH Number
2023030548
Public Agency
California Energy Commission
Document Title
National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium - CEC-NOWRDC Offshore Wind Block Grant Program
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/21/2023
Document Description
The purpose of this Agreement is to fund the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) to establish and manage a collaborative CEC-NOWRDC Offshore Wind Initiative to inform the development of a solicitation that will support California's offshore wind deployment. The Recipient will develop and manage at least one solicitation, co-funded by California, federal, and other state funds, based on the initiative. This Agreement will provide grants for offshore wind technology innovators, researchers, and project developers to advance the technology readiness, lower costs, and support future deployment of offshore wind in California. The Recipient will provide project management as a block grant administrator, providing fiduciary and technical oversight for projects

Contact Information

Name
Daphne Molin
Agency Name
Energy Commission
Job Title
Supervisor
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency

Location

Cities
Sacramento
Counties
Sacramento
Regions
Citywide
Other Information
Agreement is with National Non-Profit and the work entails coordination with Energy Commission (Located in Sacramento, CA) staff and the National Consortium (Located in Albany, NY)

Notice of Exemption

Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sect. 15306
Reasons for Exemption
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sect. 15306 consists of basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. These may be strictly for information gathering purposes, or as part of a study leading to an action which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded. This project involves research of promising new energy concepts and development of solicitations based on that research to fund technologies. This project helps establish the technical merits and commercial potential of promising technologies. NOWRDC will be assessing offshore wind deployment projects for potential future awards that will be considered by the CEC. For these reasons, the proposed project will have no significant effect on the environment and is categorically exempt under section 15306. This project does not involve impacts on any particularly sensitive environment; any cumulative impacts of successive projects of the same type in the same place that might be considered significant; does not involve unusual circumstances that might have a significant effect on the environment; will not result in damage to scenic resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; the project site is not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5, and the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Therefore, none of the exceptions to categorical exemptions listed in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply to this project and this project will not have a significant effect on the environment.

Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Public Resources Code section 15262
Reasons for Exemption
Public Resources Code section 15262 provides that a project involving only feasibility or planning studies for possible future actions which the agency, board, or commission has not approved, adopted, or funded does not require the preparation of an EIR or negative declaration but does require consideration of environmental factors. This project involves planning studies for possible future solicitations which the Commission has not yet approved, adopted, or funded. Awards funded from this block grant agreement will be also subject to approval at a future Energy Commission business meeting, and CEQA will be addressed on a project by project basis. Therefore, this project is exempt under Public Resources Code section 15262.

Attachments

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