Half a million people want a say in how or whether the Obama administration develops energy from the Outer Continental Shelf along the nation’s coastlines.

The Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service announced today that 530,000 people have responded in the public comment period about the issue, reports Barb Barrett.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced in February that he was extending the Bush administration’s timeline for developing a plan on drilling for oil and natural gas off the nation’s coastlines.

Salazar also announced that the administration would expand its review of offshore energy to include the potential for wind, wave and currents.

According to studies, the coastline off North Carolina’s Outer Banks contain some of the best wind potential in the nation. Previous studies have indicated reserves of natural gas and, possibly, oil in the same region.

The Department of Interior’s public comment period ended Monday. After the administration reviews the comments, its next step is to begin an environmental analysis for a five-year plan, as required by law, for oil and gas development in the Outer Continental Shelf.

The federal government has cleared the way for wind farms off North Carolina's coast.

Regulations published Wednesday afternoon in the Federal Register and touted by President Obama at an Earth Day speech lay out the rules for leasin, siting, permitting and building wind turbines and other forms of renewable energy.

Dozens of applications for proposed offshore wind projects are expected in the north and central Atlantic in the coming months, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

A report from his department says the Outer Banks have some of the strongest and steadiest winds on the East Coast.

"We realize there's a tremendous opportunity offshore," said Bob Leker, a program manager with the State Energy Office in Raleigh. "I think it's a good idea. It's a resource the country as a whole has a lot of." (N&O)