The original Ocean Energy Council was incorporated in Washington , D.C. in April of 1979 as an advocacy body favoring the development and implementation of ocean energy in general and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) in particular. From about 1977 to 1983, there was a movement towards harvesting Ocean Energy that is unmatched today. In 1980, the U.S. government allocated the Department of Energy (DOE) $46 billion was to advance OTEC, but the money disappeared over time as budget cuts forced its eventual demise, and the demise of the agencies responsible for overseeing the technology. With no government support remaining, the Ocean Energy Council was discontinued. Today, you will not find a line item in DOE's budget for Ocean Energy, but you will find a renewed interest in harvesting Ocean Energy around the world, at a level perhaps even greater than the 1980s. There are now several energy producing devices connected to the grid that are producing non-polluting, sustainable, renewable electricity for populations around the world. It now appears that Ocean Energy will not be stopped and will continue its development now as necessity to meet our ever increasing energy demands while reducing the harmful effects of releasing greenhouse gases from conventional energy sources. Many new pioneers have emerged, most who are not funded by government agencies, but who have raised the money themselves to demonstrate their technologies. The Ocean Energy Council has been reformed to support these pioneers and to educate the public in the benefits of implementing these technologies. The Purpose of the Ocean Energy Council (from the 1979 document), still holds true today. 1. To improve public knowledge and acceptance of Ocean Energy as a viable resource with its own special advantages, ranking with oil, natural gas, nuclear power, coal and direct solar applications in contributing to the national and international energy supply. 2. To provide a forum for presenting to the U.S. Department of Energy and other government bodies as well as international energy organizations the considered professional recommendations of the ocean energy community. 3. To foster educational advancement and growth in members in the field of ocean energy and specific contributions which may be made to the U.s. and foreign nations by development and application of ocean energy.