Distributed Real-time Entanglement, Acoustic, and Mooring Structural Health Monitoring System (DREAMS)
Summary
SCH Number
2026020250
Public Agency
California Energy Commission
Document Title
Distributed Real-time Entanglement, Acoustic, and Mooring Structural Health Monitoring System (DREAMS)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/9/2026
Document Description
The purpose of this project is to fund the development, laboratory demonstration, and field demonstration of a mooring line integrated with a multimodal (acoustic, temperature, and strain) fiber optic monitoring system for real-time detection of marine debris entanglements, structural health anomalies, and underwater acoustic activities for floating offshore wind technology deployment off the Pacific coast. The monitoring system will be tested at University of California, Berkeley's Center for Smart Infrastructure long and shallow wave tank in Berkeley, California and an offshore 1/4-scale floating offshore wind platform in the Gulf of Maine.
Contact Information
Name
Matthew Haro
Agency Name
California Energy Commission
Job Title
Mechanical Engineer
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Address
Phone
Name
Yuxin Wu
Agency Name
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Berkeley
Counties
Alameda, Contra Costa
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
Zip
94720
Other Location Info
Richmond, CA 94804
Orono, ME 04469
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, §§15301, 15306
Reasons for Exemption
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sec. 15301 provides that projects which consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, and which involve negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination, are categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act. This project will involve environmental and structural health monitoring technologies research related to offshore wind mooring systems conducted at an existing testing facility in Berkeley. The project will result in no expansion of any existing or former uses of the facility. Therefore, the project falls within section 15301 and is exempt from CEQA.
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sec. 15306 provides that projects that consist of basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities that do not result in serious or major disturbances to an environmental resource are exempt from CEQA. This project consists of environmental and structural health monitoring research related to offshore wind mooring systems and will consist of research design, experimentation and testing, and data collection in an existing laboratory environment that will have no impact on the environment. Therefore, the project falls within section 15306 and is exempt from CEQA.
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
(Pub. Resources Code sec. 21080(b)(14); Cal. Code Regs., Tit. 14, sec 15277)
Reasons for Exemption
CEQA does not apply to any project or portion thereof located outside of California which will be subject to an environmental impact review pursuant to NEPA or pursuant to a law of that state requiring the preparation of a document containing essentially the same points of analysis as in an environmental impact statement prepared under NEPA. (Pub. Resources Code sec. 21080(b)(14); Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sec. 15277.) Here, the onsite demonstration aspect of this project involving the installation of the mooring system will occur in the Gulf of Maine and is subject to Maine’s Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA). Therefore, the demonstration aspect of this project is exempt from CEQA.
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
(Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, §15061(b)(3))
Reasons for Exemption
A project is exempt from CEQA if it is covered by the common sense exemption to CEQA where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. (14 Cal. Code. Regs., tit. 14, sec. 15061(b)(3).) Here, the laboratory testing occurring at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will be occurring in a long wave tank that is currently in existence, that will be used with no modifications necessary to conduct the testing required by this project, and where it is currently being used for similar projects. As such, it is infeasible that the laboratory testing could have a significant effect on the environment as a matter of common sense and thus the project is exempt from CEQA.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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