The Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed under former President George Bush gives oversight of ocean energy technologies to the Federal government.

Projects in Hawaii that could come under federal oversight include wave energy projects and the proposed interisland cable system. Hawaiian Electric Co. is currently working on putting in place energy projects that can be sited on neighbor islands, with the electricity transmitted through undersea cables to Oahu, where energy demand is highest.

Read the Civil Beat article, Offshore Energy Projects Run Up Against Feds