WAVE ENERGY WANTS STIMULUS ACTION

Hawaii poised to lead ocean energy wave
Cynthia Thielen, December 21, 2008 (Honolulu Star Bulletin)

“An unusual consortium comprised of large utilities, environmental groups, energy think tanks and ocean energy developers has just written to President-elect Barack Obama about the tremendous potential of wave energy and the role it can play in reducing our nation's dependence upon oil.

“The group includes utilities...environmental groups...and academic entities...the consortium is asking Obama to provide support for wave energy, citing "conservative estimates" that indicate wave energy could "supply at least 10 percent of the current U.S. demand." That's a staggering number for an economically imperiled nation that has spent $700 billion in the last two years on imported oil…

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“The consortium attached a white paper, titled "Ocean Renewable Energy: A Shared Vision and Call for Action," to its letter. Among the guiding principles are encouraging pilot and demonstration scale projects, streamlining regulatory processes and cooperating in preparation of unified environmental documents…”