Bob LaBelle is the Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy at the Department of the Interior. He oversees management of key facets of the U.S. offshore renewable energy program, including policy development and implementation. As mandated in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, this includes authority for development and regulation of offshore wind, wave, and marine current energy in all U.S. Federal waters. He has received the Citation for Distinguished Service (2008) from the Department of the Interior in recognition of his scientific and management accomplishments. Previously, as Environmental Division Chief, Mr. LaBelle was responsible for offshore industry compliance with all environmental requirements, including water and air quality, seafloor impacts, endangered species, oil spill risk analysis, and cultural resources. He has managed large environmental and technology research programs and overseen the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements and other decision documents used for US offshore energy permitting. In prior positions, Mr. LaBelle was Chief of the Technology Assessment and Research Program, where he led research on safety, engineering and technical aspects of offshore production and development. Prior to joining Interior, Mr. LaBelle worked for Martin Marietta Corporation on the siting of electric power plants and on assessing their effects on aquatic species. Mr. LaBelle is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (B.S.), the University of Maryland (M.S.), and Loyola College, Maryland (MBA).