A group of House Democrats is championing a new effort to give the Department of Energy unprecedented funding to advance energy technologies that use the ocean’s power.
The “Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act,” introduced by Democratic Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán of California and Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, would give DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office $1 billion to research and develop marine energy technologies.
“Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population lives in coastal communities where marine energy resources are abundant and offer tremendous potential to power our communities with clean, renewable energy, including California,” said Barragán.
Marine energy takes advantage of water movements, such as waves, tides and currents. The Department of Energy says it could provide millions of Americans with locally sourced, clean and reliable energy.
