Notice2024-00513
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia
Primary source
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Published
January 12, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) to consider the potential environmental impacts associated with possible wind energy- related leasing, site assessment, and site characterization activities on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). 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 wind energy leases in the Central Atlantic Wind Energy Areas (WEAs).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 9 (Friday, January 12, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 9 (Friday, January 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2251-2252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00513]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0004]
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the
Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and
Virginia
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the
availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) to consider the
potential environmental impacts associated with possible wind energy-
related leasing, site assessment, and site characterization activities
on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). 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 wind energy leases in
the Central Atlantic Wind Energy Areas (WEAs).
DATES: Comments must be received no later than February 12, 2024.
BOEM's virtual public meetings will be held on the following dates at
the times (eastern time) indicated.
<bullet> Tuesday, January 30; 5:00 p.m.
<bullet> Thursday, February 1; 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/central-atlantic">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic</a>. Meeting information will be sent to registrants via
their email address provided during registration.
ADDRESSES: The draft EA and detailed information about the Central
Atlantic WEAs can be found on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic</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 ``Central Atlantic Wind Leasing EA''
and addressed to Chief, Office of Renewable Energy
[[Page 2252]]
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="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and search for Docket No. BOEM-2024-0004.
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, VAM-OREP, Sterling,
Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1730 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dbb1bea8a8b2b8baf5a8afa9b4b6b9bea9bc9bb9b4beb6f5bcb4ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="503a3523233933317e2324223f3d3235223710323f353d7e373f26">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action: The draft EA analyzes the proposed action, which
is issuing wind energy leases in the Central Atlantic WEAs, and the no
action alternative. The lease sale itself would not authorize any
activities on the OCS. Therefore, the EA considers the reasonably
foreseeable environmental consequences of site characterization surveys
(i.e., biological, archeological, geological and geophysical surveys,
and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of
meteorological buoys), which are expected to take place following lease
issuance. BOEM 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/central-atlantic">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic</a>. If you require a
digital copy on a flash drive or a 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 Lisa Landers at (703) 787-
1520 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#026e6b71632c6e636c6667707142606d676f2c656d74"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="660a0f1507480a070802031415260409030b48010910">[email protected]</span></a>.
Cooperating Agencies: The following Federal agencies participated
as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the draft EA: the Bureau
of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Marine Fisheries
Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection
Agency. The Town of Ocean City, Maryland, also participated as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of the draft EA.
Information on Submitting Comments: 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 submitted by organizations and
businesses, or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives
of organizations or businesses.
a. Freedom of Information Act
BOEM will protect privileged or confidential information that you
submit as 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
information or any comments not containing privileged or confidential
information. Information that is not labeled as privileged or
confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.
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.
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 J. Baker,
Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-00513 Filed 1-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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