Notice2023-15389
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for a Wind Energy Research Lease on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Maine
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
July 21, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
BOEM announces the availability of the draft environmental assessment (EA) for the potential issuance of a wind energy research lease to the State of Maine. The draft EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the site characterization and site assessment activities that are expected to take place should this research lease be issued. This notice of availability (NOA) announces the start of the public review and comment period, as well as the dates and times for public meetings on the draft EA. After BOEM holds the public meetings and addresses public comments submitted during the review period, BOEM will publish a final EA. The EA will inform BOEM's decision whether to issue the research lease.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 139 (Friday, July 21, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 139 (Friday, July 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47172-47173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15389]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2023-0042]
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for a
Wind Energy Research Lease on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf
Offshore Maine
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: BOEM announces the availability of the draft environmental
assessment (EA) for the potential issuance of a wind energy research
lease to the State of Maine. The draft EA analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of the site characterization and site assessment
activities that are expected to take place should this research lease
be issued. This notice of availability (NOA) announces the start of the
public review and comment period, as well as the dates and times for
public meetings on the draft EA. After BOEM holds the public meetings
and addresses public comments submitted during the review period, BOEM
will publish a final EA. The EA will inform BOEM's decision whether to
issue the research lease.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 21, 2023. BOEM's
virtual public meetings will be held on the following dates at the
times (eastern time) indicated.
<bullet> Tuesday, August 1; 5:00 p.m.
<bullet> Thursday, August 3; 1:00 p.m.
Registration for the virtual public meeting is required and may be
completed at <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine</a>. Meeting information will be sent to registrants via
their email address provided during registration.
ADDRESSES: The draft EA and detailed information about the proposed
research lease can be found on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine</a>. Comments can be
submitted in any of the following ways:
<bullet> Orally or in written form during any of the public
meetings identified in this NOA.
<bullet> In written form by mail or any other delivery service,
enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Gulf of Maine Research Lease EA'' and
addressed to Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Mailstop VAM-OREP,
Sterling, VA 20166.
<bullet> Through the <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> web portal: Navigate to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and search for Docket No. BOEM-2023-0042. Click on
the ``Comment'' button below the document link. Enter your information
and comment, then click ``Submit Comment.''
For more information about submitting comments, please see
``Information on Submitting Comments'' under the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION heading below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Stromberg, BOEM Office of
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia
20166, (703) 787-1730 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#543e3127273d37357a2720263b393631263314363b31397a333b22"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="056f6076766c66642b7671776a686760776245676a60682b626a73">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action: The draft EA analyzes the proposed action, which
is the issuance of a research lease to the State of Maine, and the no
action alternative. The EA considers the reasonably foreseeable
environmental consequences associated with lease issuance, site
characterization surveys, and site assessment activities, such as the
deployment and recovery of a meteorological buoy, that are expected to
take place should a research lease be issued to the State of Maine.
BOEM has decided to prepare an EA for this proposed action in order to
assist the agency's planning and decision-making (40 CFR 1501.5(b)).
Availability of the draft EA: The draft EA and associated
information are available on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine</a>. If you require a
digital copy on a flash drive or paper copy, BOEM will provide one upon
request, if supplies are available. You may request a flash drive or
paper copy of the draft EA by contacting Mary Boatman at (703) 787-1662
or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#650804171c4b070a041108040b25070a00084b020a13"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e131f0c07501c111f0a131f103e1c111b1350191108">[email protected]</span></a>.
Cooperating Agencies: The following three Federal agencies
participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the draft
EA: the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Marine
Fisheries Service, and U.S. Coast Guard.
Information on Submitting Comments
a. Freedom of Information Act
BOEM will protect privileged or confidential information that you
submit when required by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Exemption 4 of FOIA applies to trade secrets and commercial or
financial information that is privileged or confidential. If you wish
to protect the confidentiality of such information, clearly label it
and request that BOEM treat it as confidential. BOEM will not disclose
such information if BOEM determines under 30 CFR 585.114(b) that it
qualifies for exemption from disclosure under FOIA. Please label
privileged or confidential information ``Contains Confidential
Information'' and consider submitting such information as a separate
attachment.
BOEM will not treat as confidential any aggregate summaries of such
information or comments not containing such privileged or confidential
information. Information that is not labeled as privileged or
confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.
[[Page 47173]]
b. Personally Identifiable Information
BOEM discourages anonymous comments. Please include your name and
address as part of your comment. You should be aware that your entire
comment, including your name, address, and any other personally
identifiable information (PII) that you include, may be made publicly
available. All comments from identified individuals, businesses, and
organizations will be available for public viewing on <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>.
Note that BOEM will make available for public inspection all comments,
in their entirety, submitted by organizations and businesses, or by
individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations
or businesses.
For BOEM to consider withholding your PII from disclosure, you must
identify any information contained in your comments that, if released,
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal
privacy. You must also briefly describe any possible harmful
consequences of the disclosure of information, such as embarrassment,
injury, or other harm. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the
context of this notice, your comment is subject to FOIA. If your
comment is requested under FOIA, BOEM will withhold your information
only if it determines that one of FOIA's exemptions to disclosure
applies. Such a determination will be made in accordance with the
Department's FOIA regulations and applicable law.
c. Section 304 of the NHPA (54 U.S.C. 307103(a))
After consultation with the Secretary, BOEM is required to withhold
the location, character, or ownership of historic resources if it
determines that disclosure may, among other things, risk harm to the
historic resources or impede the use of a traditional religious site by
practitioners. Tribal entities should designate information that falls
under section 304 of NHPA as confidential.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq. (NEPA, as amended) and 40 CFR
1506.6.
Karen Baker,
Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2023-15389 Filed 7-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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