The development of offshore wind leasing in the US Gulf of Mexico will have no significant impacts to environmental resources, according to the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
The environmental assessment considered potential consequences of site characterisation activities (i.e., biological, archaeological, geological, and geophysical surveys and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of meteorological buoys) associated with the possibility of issuing wind energy leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
BOEM aims to develop two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore Texas and Louisiana that total about 682,000 acres – a subset of the 30m acre Call Area. BOEM later announced its proposal for the first offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico for areas within the WEAs.
“The completion of our environmental review is an important step forward to advance clean energy development in a responsible manner while promoting economic vitality and well-paying jobs in the Gulf of Mexico region,” said BOEM Director Liz Klein.
“We will continue to work closely with our task force members, ocean users, and others to ensure that any development in the region is done responsibly and in a way that avoids, reduces, or mitigates potential impacts to ocean users and the marine environment.”