US planning authorities are looking to slash paperwork in order to streamline the process for developers at future offshore wind farms off the coast of the country.
Developers will benefit from recently passed legislation that establishes new limits on the size of environmental impact studies (EIS) for offshore wind farms, the AWEA 2018 conference has heard.
The legislation agreed by the Department of Interior in August after a study found the average EIS took over four years to complete and ranged between 500 and 2111 pages, excluding appendices.
“New page limits mean standard projects cannot exceed 150 pages and complex ones 300,” US Department of the Interior director of environmental policy and compliance Michaela Noble told delegates on Wednesday.
“The purpose of these studies should be excellent decision making not excellent paperwork,” she said.
The move will reduce the time needed for offshore wind farms to get planning consent by around one-and-a-half years, Noble said.
“It will also help with community engagement as improved readability helps affected populations understand the impact of projects and have their say.”