The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the availability of its draft environmental review of offshore wind energy areas off the US Central Atlantic region.
BOEM’s Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) considers potential environmental consequences of site characterisation activities as well as site assessment activities associated with issuing wind energy leases in the Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) off Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Site characterisation activities include geophysical, geological and archaeological surveys and site assessment activities include the installation of meteorological buoys.
The Draft EA also considers project easements and grants associated with each potential lease, including subsea cable corridors.
The public comment period for the draft EA runs through 12 February 2024.
“BOEM will continue to work closely with our government partners, key stakeholders, and the public as we consider proposed offshore wind activities in the Central Atlantic,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.
She added: “Our overarching goal is to ensure any development is done in a manner that avoids or reduces potential impacts to other ocean uses and the marine environment.”
On 1 August 2023, BOEM published a notice in the Federal Register announcing its intent to prepare an EA on potential impacts from offshore wind leasing in the Central Atlantic WEAs.
As part of its scoping process, BOEM sought comments on the issues and alternatives that the EA should consider and received over 100 comments.
On 11 December 2023, the Department of the Interior announced a proposed offshore wind lease sale in the Central Atlantic WEAs.
The proposal includes two areas for auction: WEA A-2 offshore the States of Delaware and Maryland and WEA C-1 offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia.
BOEM partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based ocean planning model that assisted in the selection of the final WEAs.
The proposed sale does not include WEA B-1, located offshore Ocean City, Maryland, due to the need for further evaluation of potential conflicts with other existing ocean uses.
The Draft EA analyses all three areas, including WEA B-1, as the analysis may be helpful to inform additional potential lease sales, which could occur in the Central Atlantic region as soon as 2025.