Notice2024-26657
Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC's Proposed SouthCoast Wind Energy Project Offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Primary source
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Published
November 15, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC's (SouthCoast Wind) construction and operations plan (COP) for its proposed SouthCoast Wind Project (Project) offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The FEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Project as described in the COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the proposed action, including the no action alternative. The FEIS will inform BOEM's decision whether to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the COP.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 221 (Friday, November 15, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 221 (Friday, November 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90316-90317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26657]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0055]
Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement
for SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC's Proposed SouthCoast Wind Energy
Project Offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; final environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the
availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for
SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC's (SouthCoast Wind) construction and
operations plan (COP) for its proposed SouthCoast Wind Project
(Project) offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The FEIS analyzes
the potential environmental impacts of the Project as described in the
COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the proposed action,
including the no action alternative. The FEIS will inform BOEM's
decision whether to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the
COP.
ADDRESSES: The FEIS and detailed information about the Project,
including the COP, can be found on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/southcoast-wind-formerly-mayflower-wind">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/southcoast-wind-formerly-mayflower-wind</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Genevieve Brune, BOEM Office of
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia
20166, (703) 787-1553 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5e393b303b28373b283b703c2c2b303b1e3c313b3370393128"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2245474c47544b4754470c4050574c4762404d474f0c454d54">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action: SouthCoast Wind seeks approval to construct,
operate, and maintain a wind energy facility and its associated export
cables on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Massachusetts and
Rhode Island. The Project would be developed within the range of design
parameters outlined in the SouthCoast Wind COP, subject to the
applicable mitigation measures.
The Project would be located about 26 nautical miles (nm) (48
kilometers) south of Martha's Vineyard and 20 nm (37 kilometers) south
of Nantucket in the area defined in BOEM's renewable energy lease
number OCS-A 0521 (Lease Area). The Lease Area covers approximately
127,388 acres. The Project would be developed in two parts or projects:
Project 1 refers to the
[[Page 90317]]
development in the northern portion of the Lease Area and associated
interconnection, and Project 2 refers to the development in the
southern portion of the Lease Area and associated interconnection. The
Project would consist of up to 149 positions in the Lease Area to be
occupied by up to 147 wind turbine generators and up to five offshore
substation platforms (OSPs). The 149 positions will conform to a 1 nm x
1 nm grid layout with an east-west and north-south orientation, which
lessees agreed would apply across all the Massachusetts and Rhode
Island wind energy areas. The Project would include one preferred
export cable corridor making landfall and interconnecting to the ISO
New England Inc. (ISO-NE) grid at Brayton Point, in Somerset,
Massachusetts. This preferred export cable corridor to Brayton Point
would be used for both Project 1 and Project 2. The Project would also
include one variant export cable corridor, which, if used, would make
landfall and interconnect to the ISO-NE grid in the town of Falmouth,
Massachusetts. In the event that technical, logistical, grid
interconnection, or other unforeseen challenges arise during the design
and engineering phase that prevent Project 2 from making
interconnection at Brayton Point, Project 2 would use the Falmouth
variant export cable corridor.
Alternatives: BOEM considered 17 alternatives when preparing the
draft environmental impact statement and carried forward six
alternatives for further analysis in the FEIS. These six alternatives
include five action alternatives and the no action alternative. Eleven
alternatives were not analyzed in detail, which are presented in FEIS
chapter 2, 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, technical and
economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and geographic
considerations.
Availability of the FEIS: The FEIS, SouthCoast Wind COP, and
associated information are available on BOEM's website at: <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/southcoast-wind-formerly-mayflower-wind">https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/southcoast-wind-formerly-mayflower-wind</a>. BOEM has distributed digital copies of the
FEIS to all parties listed in FEIS Appendix M. If you require a flash
drive or paper copy, BOEM will provide one upon request, as long as
supplies are available. You may request a flash drive or paper copy of
the FEIS by contacting Genevieve Brune at (703) 787-1553 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9dfaf8f3f8ebf4f8ebf8b3ffefe8f3f8ddfff2f8f0b3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9cfbf9f2f9eaf5f9eaf9b2feeee9f2f9dcfef3f9f1b2fbf3ea">[email protected]</span></a>.
Cooperating Agencies: The following Federal agencies and State
governmental entities participated as cooperating agencies under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 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; New York Department of
State; Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management; and the Rhode
Island Coastal Resources Management Council.
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. 2024-26657 Filed 11-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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