Notice2024-13687
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Lease Issuance, Site Characterization Activities, and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Primary source
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Published
June 21, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the availability of the draft environmental assessment (EA) for the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases in the Gulf of Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The draft EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the site characterization and site assessment activities that are expected to take place if a commercial lease is 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 about whether it will issue commercial wind energy leases.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 120 (Friday, June 21, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52086-52087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13687]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0030]
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance, Site Characterization Activities, and
Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf in
the Gulf of Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the
availability of the draft environmental assessment (EA) for the
potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases in the Gulf of
Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The draft EA analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of the site characterization and site assessment
activities that are expected to take place if a commercial lease is
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 about
whether it will issue commercial wind energy leases.
DATES: BOEM must receive your comments no later than July 22, 2024.
BOEM's virtual public meetings will be held on the following dates and
times (Eastern Time) indicated:
<bullet> Monday July 8, 2024; 1:00 p.m.
<bullet> Wednesday July 10, 2024; 5:00 p.m.
Registration for the virtual public meetings 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 proposed
commercial leases 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 U.S. Postal Service or other delivery
service: Send your comments and information to the following address:
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Renewable Energy Programs,
45600 Woodland Road, Mail Stop 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-2024-0030. 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: Brandi Sangunett, BOEM, Environment
Branch for Renewable Energy, 45600 Woodland Road, Mail Stop VAM-OREP,
Sterling, VA 20166, (703) 787-1015 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2f4d5d4e414b46015c4e41485a414a5b5b6f4d404a4201484059"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dcbeaebdb2b8b5f2afbdb2bba9b2b9a8a89cbeb3b9b1f2bbb3aa">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action: The draft EA analyzes the proposed action, which
is the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases in the Gulf
of Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the no action alternative. The EA
will consider project easements and grants for subsea cable corridors
associated with leasing. The EA will also consider the potential
environmental impacts associated with site characterization activities
(i.e., biological, archaeological, geological, and geophysical surveys
and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of
meteorological buoys) that are expected to take place following lease
issuance. The EA's proposed action does not include the installation of
meteorological towers because developers have expressed a preference
for the use of meteorological buoys to collect data. In addition to the
no-action alternative, other alternatives may be considered, such as
exclusion of certain areas.
BOEM will use responses to this notice and the EA public input
process to satisfy the public involvement requirements of the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
Specific to the NHPA, BOEM seeks information from the public on the
identification and assessment of potential impacts to cultural
resources and historic properties that might be impacted by possible
wind energy-related leasing, site characterization, and site assessment
activities in the final wind energy area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine
that BOEM identified in a memorandum, dated March 13, 2024, which is
available on BOEM's website <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>.
BOEM will also use the analyses in the EA to support its compliance
with other environmental statutes (e.g., Coastal Zone Management Act,
Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act).
Wind energy leases do not authorize any activities on the Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS). Instead, leases grant lessees the exclusive
right to submit plans for BOEM's consideration and approval. Prior to
deciding whether to approve any plan for the construction and operation
of commercial wind energy facilities, BOEM will prepare a plan-specific
environmental analysis and will comply with all consultation
requirements. Therefore, this EA will not consider the construction and
operation of any commercial wind energy facilities in the final WEA.
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
[[Page 52087]]
Brandi Sangunett at (703) 787-1015 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4d2f3f2c232924633e2c232a38232839390d2f222820632a223b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="82e0f0e3ece6ebacf1e3ece5f7ece7f6f6c2e0ede7eface5edf4">[email protected]</span></a>.
Cooperating Agencies: The following four 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 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.
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. 2024-13687 Filed 6-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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