Abstract
Environmental compliance costs of Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) projects collected through the Environmental Compliance Cost Assessment (ECCA) project show that acoustic and benthic studies are the most common and often most expensive environmental studies required for permitting and licensing an MHK project in the U.S. The ECCA project team convened two inter-disciplinary Work Groups of subject matter experts, state and federal regulators, and MHK industry members to discuss acoustic and benthic interactions with MHK devices. These Work Groups participated in monthly calls and facilitated discussions to identify and prioritize critical research needs to increase the applicability of MHK research funded by the federal, state, and local agencies; address the key information needs of regulatory agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the permitting process and compliance monitoring; and recommend best practices for licensing and permitting MHK projects. The findings of the Work groups and the overlap of prioritized research projects with suggestions from the 2020 State of Science Report suggest that filling the technical scientific gaps is important to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of permitting MHK projects in the U.S.