Ocean renewable energy offers opportunity to both grow our economy and secure a clean energy future for the U.S., particularly on the West Coast of the U.S. As an emerging industry, however, there is some uncertainty about the development of ocean renewables. To reduce uncertainty and improve decision-making related to siting ocean renewables, it is important that developers, policy makers, and stakeholders have a strong understanding of the various regulatory, management and planning processes, as well as sound data to inform these processes. The Planning and Assessment Framework provides information about and to support these processes. It is organized into the following topic areas: