Socio-Economic Perspectives of Wave Energy Development Prepared by Flaxen Conway, Oregon State University On behalf of Oregon Wave Energy Trust September 2009 This work was funded by the Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET). OWET was funded in part with Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by the Oregon Business Development Department. It is one of six Oregon Innovation Council initiatives supporting job creation and long-term economic growth. Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) is a nonprofit public-private partnership funded by the Oregon Innovation Council. Its mission is to support the responsible development of wave energy in Oregon. OWET emphasizes an inclusive, collaborative model to ensure that Oregon maintains its competitive advantage and maximizes the economic development and environmental potential of this emerging industry. Our work includes stakeholder outreach and education, policy development, environmental assessment, applied research and market development. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 I. Wave Energy and Public Opinion in Oregon: Summary of Results From the Oregon Energy Policy Survey, 2008 By Maria Stefanovich, PhD candidate, Environmental Science, Oregon State University, 2009……………………………………………………………………………..…7 II. Mapping the Political Landscape of Wave Energy Development in Oregon By John Stevenson, Oregon State University, 2009…………………………..…..33 III. Is Wave Energy Comparatively Sustainable in Oregon? By Yao Yin, Oregon State University, 2009………………………………….......45 IV. Marine Spatial Planning and Lessons Learned in the Early Phase of Ocean Energy Development By Holly V. Campbell J.D., LL.M., Marine Resource Management Oregon State University, 2009……………………………………………………………….….92 V. Understanding Organized Interests Groups and Their Preferences toward Wave Energy By John Stevenson and Zack Covell Oregon State University, 2009……………105 VI. Addressing Perceived Community Impacts of Wave Energy in Coastal Oregon Communities By Daniel Hunter, MA Applied Anthropology, Oregon State University, 2009…118 2 Oregon Sea Grant (OSG) and Oregon State University (OSU) have been investigating and supporting the development of ocean-based renewable energy for several years. By 2004, there was motivation from the State to get things moving quickly. The POWER group was meeting regularly. Several developers were eying Oregon as a “sweet spot” to test and launch their technology. Terms like “the gold rush” were being used on a regular basis to describe the situation. OSG’s role was to support research and connect scientists, engineers and developers to ocean users – specifically, the commercial fishing industry – to talk, listen and share perspectives and experience about this new technology and the ocean’s place and space. During this time, at the peak, seven or more preliminary permits had been applied for. Yet, there were so many questions unanswered and issues that needed to be addressed. A series of environmental issues and questions led to an “environmental impacts” conference in Newport. A report of this conference is available. Equally important, yet left unaddressed, were a series of human dimension issues and questions. How is wave energy generation off of the Oregon coast generally perceived? Who are the stakeholders and how are they engaged? Is this activity further defining differences in rural and urban perceptions of the coast and the direction of its economic and social development? Cumulatively, how does the human dimension of the wave energy equation affect public perceptions, public policy and the successful adoption of wave energy technology along Oregon’s coast? At the same time, policy makers and government officials were struggling to keep up in many ways. Who’s responsible for planning and regulating this new use of the ocean? FERC? MMS? State or local government? What should the permitting process be? What are the correct steps that should be followed? In 2007, the Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) put out a request for proposals to begin to discover answers to many of the environmental and human dimensions questions. A multidisciplinary group of social scientists – Flaxen Conway, Brent Steel, Michael Harte and Bryan Tilt from Oregon State University – responded to this call. There were six graduate students – five masters candidates (Holly Campbell, John Stevenson, Zack Covell, Daniel Hunter, and Yao Yin) and one PhD candidate (Maria Stefanovich) – who were here, ready, and interested. Working together, they created a new research program at OSU, the Human Dimension of Wave Energy (HDWE), to provide the opportunity for a cadre of social scientists – professors and graduate students – to study this new use of the ocean space and place. Why Invest in Human Dimension Research? Six individual, yet interrelated, projects under four research areas would coordinate their efforts to understand wave energy in terms of the political and regulatory process, the environment, social and economic sustainability and acceptability. Researchers Delli Carpini and Keeter note that public knowledge "is essential if citizens are to discern their real interests and take effective advantage of the civic opportunities afforded them" (1996: 3). Daigle argues the need for greater public involvement in coastal policy issues stating, "The only hope for further progress on environmental protection and sustainable development lies with a public that is not 3 only informed but also engaged" (2003: 230). We believe, therefore, that it is important to assess the scope and depth of policy-relevant knowledge among stakeholders and the public, to learn where people tend to acquire their information about wave energy, and to flesh out the link between policy-relevant knowledge to understanding and acceptance of wave energy generation. By clarifying the connection between knowledge holding and support for wave energy, purposeful public education and information dissemination efforts could be targeted more effectively, and policy processes could be designed to meet citizen and community concerns and maximize policy input. In short, by examining the literature, doing comparisons with other jurisdictions that have implemented wave energy and gathering new scientific information, the HDWE was designed to discover information that could inform people, policy makers and their wave energy planning and permitting decisions in regard to the best available social information and best management practices. Project Areas This new use of the ocean space and place is multidimensional and complex. Just as one research project cannot study all of the environmental effects, one research project is not sufficient to study all of the human dimensions issues. It’s important to study the various aspects of an issue or set of issues, but not in a vacuum. Methodologies could be complementary instead of competitive. The overlap of commitment and time could be positive, not negative, but it would take each aspect being communicated and coordinated so as to enhance co-learning and co-discovery. The HDWE investigated four facets of the human dimensions complex, with each facet represented by a related, but independent, research project area: Project Area 1: The Socioeconomic and Sociopolitical Influences on Wave Energy Permitting and Planning. This area has two research projects associated with it. The first (Stefanovich) project studied – through surveys – the level, depth and connection between people’s knowledge, values, and opinions and their actions or resources that support or oppose wave energy (regionally, nationally, and internationally). The second (Stevenson) project focused on the roles of government representatives, community leaders and scientists in the implementation of energy policies to see who controls critical resources, and what strategies and venues they will use to achieve their objectives. The goals of this project area were to provide OWET and others information about the best management practices within the US, regionally, nationally and internationally for identifying and addressing social and political acceptance or resistance. Project Area 2: A Comparison of Wave Energy Generation to Other Forms of Electricity Generation. This area had one project associated with it (Yin) that reviewed and synthesized the existing literature and secondary data comparing the economic, social and environmental costs of wave energy generation to liquefied natural gas, oil, nuclear, hydro, wind, biomass, solar and geothermal. The goal of this comparison was to provide useful information for OWET, decision makers, stakeholders, and the public in determining the best ways to avoid or overcome risks and barriers. Project Area 3: Ocean Zoning in Oregon and Around the World: An Assessment of Best Legal and Regulatory Practices for Permitting and Managing Wave Energy in Oregon. The 1 project (Cambell) in this area went beyond looking specifically at existing ocean energy laws and regulations. It sought out approaches from other ocean resource laws and regulations that may be applicable to ocean energy development in Oregon. These were international, as well as regional and national, examples related to other uses of the coastal ocean. Although many of the details are constantly changing, the goal of this work was to provide OWET and others with the best management practices within the US and internationally for permit streamlining and expedited rollout of emerging energy technologies. Project Area 4: A Stock Take of Perceptions