Notice2021-17829
Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for South Fork Wind, LLC's Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore Rhode Island
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 20, 2021
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, BOEM announces the availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the construction and operation plan (COP) submitted by South Fork Wind, LLC, (South Fork Wind) for its proposed South Fork Wind Farm (SFWF) and South Fork Export Cable (SFEC) Project (Project). The FEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Project as described in the COP (the proposed action) and alternatives to the proposed action and will inform BOEM's decision whether to approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove the COP.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 159 (Friday, August 20, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 159 (Friday, August 20, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 46879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17829]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2021-0066]
Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement
for South Fork Wind, LLC's Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore Rhode
Island
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; final environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations, BOEM announces the availability of the final environmental
impact statement (FEIS) for the construction and operation plan (COP)
submitted by South Fork Wind, LLC, (South Fork Wind) for its proposed
South Fork Wind Farm (SFWF) and South Fork Export Cable (SFEC) Project
(Project). The FEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the
Project as described in the COP (the proposed action) and alternatives
to the proposed action and will inform BOEM's decision whether to
approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove the COP.
ADDRESSES: The FEIS can be found on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/south-fork">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/south-fork</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the FEIS or BOEM's
policies associated with this notice of availability (NOA), please
contact: Michelle Morin, BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs,
45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1722 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e78a8e848f828b8b82c98a88958e89a78588828ac9808891"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="274a4e444f424b4b42094a48554e49674548424a09404851">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action: South Fork Wind seeks approval to construct,
operate, maintain, and eventually decommission the Project--a wind
energy facility on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Rhode
Island and an associated export cable. The Project would be developed
within the range of design parameters outlined in the South Fork Wind
COP, subject to applicable mitigation measures. The SFWF as proposed in
the COP would include up to 15 wind turbine generators with a nameplate
capacity of 6 to 12 megawatts per turbine, submarine cables between the
wind turbine generators (inter-array cables), and an offshore
substation. The SFWF would be located entirely on the OCS in the area
covered by Renewable Energy Lease OCS-A 0517 (Lease Area),
approximately 19 miles southeast of Block Island, RI, and 35 miles east
of Montauk Point, NY. The SFEC is an alternating current electric cable
that would connect the SFWF to the existing mainland electric grid in
East Hampton, NY. The Project also would include an operations and
maintenance facility located onshore at either Montauk in East Hampton,
NY, or Quonset Point in North Kingstown, RI, and a facility to connect
the SFEC with the Long Island Power Authority electric transmission and
distribution system in the town of East Hampton, NY.
Alternatives: BOEM considered 22 alternatives when preparing the
draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and carried forward four
alternatives for further analysis in the DEIS and FEIS. These four
alternatives include three action alternatives and the no action
alternative. Eighteen alternatives were rejected because they did not
meet the purpose and need for the proposed action or did not meet
screening criteria. The screening criteria included consistency with
law and regulations; operational, technical, and economic feasibility;
environmental impact; and geographical considerations.
Availability of the FEIS: The FEIS, South Fork Wind COP, and
associated information are available on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/South-Fork/">https://www.boem.gov/South-Fork/</a>. BOEM has distributed digital copies of the
FEIS to all parties listed in the FEIS appendix B, which also includes
the location of all libraries receiving a copy. If you require a CD or
paper copy, BOEM will provide one upon request, as long as copies are
available. You may request a CD or paper copy of the FEIS by calling
(703) 787-1662.
Cooperating Agencies: The following 10 agencies and governmental
entities participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the
FEIS: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; National Marine Fisheries Service;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; the Massachusetts
Office of Coastal Zone Management; Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management; Rhode Island Coastal Resource Management
Council; and Town of East Hampton, and Trustees of the Freeholders and
Commonality of the Town of East Hampton.
Authority: This NOA was prepared under 42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.
(NEPA, as amended) and 40 CFR 1506.6.
William Yancey Brown,
Chief Environmental Officer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-17829 Filed 8-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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