Through a letter sent to the Department of Interior and Department of Energy, the Hydropower Reform Coalition supported the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reached by the two departments for offshore energy development, including marine and hydrokinetic.

The Department of Interior and the Department of Energy have agreed to strengthen the working relationship between the two agencies on the future development of commercial renewable offshore energy projects, including the marine and hydrokinetic energy projects, on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

The Hydropower Reform Coalition has partnered with the National Park Service with assistance from the Department of Energy to produce a whitepaper on recreational issues related to the marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies, which is now available for public review.

In what seems like a progress from conventional ways of looking at hydropower, federal agencies that own and operate hydropower projects around the country are collaborating to find ways to increase hydropower generation while at the same time protecting the non-power interests of the basin.

With interest in marine and hydrokinetic energy development in the US rapidly rising, the Department of Energy has developed a database of existing and potential projects.