The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed an environmental review to assess potential wind development activities within the New York Bight area off the US east coast.
Following the review of six wind lease areas covering over 488,000 acres off New York and New Jersey, BOEM estimates their full development could generate up to 7GW of offshore wind energy.
The “Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Expected Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight” will publish in the Federal Register on 25 October.
“BOEM has collected input from tribes, federal and state government agencies, local communities, ocean users, and key stakeholders as part of our comprehensive environmental review,” said BOEM director Elizabeth Klein.
“We appreciate the feedback we have received, and we believe our regional approach will provide a solid baseline for future environmental reviews for any proposed offshore wind projects in the New York Bight.”
In February 2022, BOEM held an auction that brought in over $4.3bn for the rights to six lease areas in the New York Bight – a record amount for any US offshore renewable or conventional energy lease sale.
BOEM prepared a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to analyse potential environmental impacts of offshore wind activities in the six zones.
The PEIS identifies avoidance, minimisation, mitigation, and monitoring (AMMM) measures that BOEM may require as conditions for approval for activities proposed by lessees in the individual construction and operations plans submitted for these six lease areas (pictured).
This is the first time BOEM has conducted a regional analysis of offshore renewable energy development activities across multiple lease areas.
In early 2024, BOEM held five public meetings and eight regional environmental justice forums between 2022 and 2024 to receive input on the Draft PEIS from tribal nations, local community members, government partners, and ocean users.
BOEM sought information on important resources and issues, potential impacts to the environment, and AMMM measures found in the Draft PEIS.
The Final PEIS analyses 58 AMMM measures that have been applied previously to offshore wind activities, and eight that have not been applied previously but may help reduce potential impacts.
The American Clean Power Association vice president for offshore wind Anne Reynolds said: “The six lease areas off the coasts of New Jersey and New York will host the next tranche of offshore wind power projects to meet the increasing demand for electricity on the East Coast.
“This environmental review of the entire lease area is a vital step in establishing a more standardised and efficient permitting process.
“It reflects extensive outreach and input from diverse stakeholders, including tribal, community members and other ocean users, ensuring that a wide range of perspectives have been considered.
“We commend BOEM for its dedication and thorough environmental reviews, and we look forward to future project-specific reviews building on this important work.”