Apr 26 -- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM or we), Interior, issues a call for information and request for comments on possible commercial wind energy leasing on the U.S. OCS in the Gulf of Maine. On August 19, 2022, BOEM initiated the competitive leasing process by issuing a request for interest (RFI) to solicit indications of interest and other information for BOEM to determine whether competitive interest existed for scheduling lease sales. This Call represents the next step in the competitive leasing process. The Call area is identified and described in section 6 below. Those interested in providing comments or information regarding site conditions, resources, and multiple uses in close proximity to or within the Call area should provide the information requested in section 7, “Requested Information from Interested or Affected Parties,” under the “Supplementary Information” heading of this Call. Your comments on commercial leasing within the Call area must be received by BOEM no later than June 12, 2023.
In March 2021, the Biden-Harris administration established the goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. Last year, the Biden-Harris administration announced expanded plans to grow the floating offshore wind energy industry, and set a target to deploy 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035. BOEM is committed to both of these ambitious goals. BOEM is responsibly fostering the growth of offshore wind energy capacity and participating in collaborative, data-based planning to inform decisions involving shared ocean resources and the many users that depend on them. . . .
In 2019, BOEM received a letter from Governor Sununu of New Hampshire, requesting the establishment of an intergovernmental offshore wind renewable energy task force for the State. Given the regional interest in offshore wind energy development, BOEM decided to establish the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force (“Task Force”), which comprises Federal officials and elected Tribal, State, and local officials (or their designated employees with authority to act on their behalf) from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Two Task Force meetings have been held to date: on December 12, 2019, and May 19, 2022. Materials from the Task Force meetings are available on the BOEM website at:
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine. . . .
Following the RFI comment period, which closed on October 3, 2022, BOEM analyzed all submissions and identified recurring themes around recommended areas for removal from leasing consideration, areas of significant concern, and key datasets. This analysis, conducted in partnership with the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), resulted in the boundaries of a draft Call area (see section 5.a for more information on the BOEM/NCCOS partnership). The draft Call area was posted on BOEM's website on January 10, 2023, and was the subject of a series of in-person and virtual information exchanges throughout January and February 2023. During the information exchanges, BOEM solicited feedback on the draft Call area and the proposed approach for the eventual identification of WEAs. . . .
Responses to this Call will assist BOEM in identifying portions of the OCS that require further analysis. That analysis includes comparing commercial nominations with public comments submitted in response to this Call so that potential use conflicts can be analyzed before WEAs are designated (area identification). BOEM's analysis during area identification will further evaluate the appropriateness of the Call area for offshore wind energy development, balanced with potential ocean user conflicts. BOEM will consider information from environmental reviews, consultations, public comments, and continued coordination with the Task Force. Consequently, BOEM anticipates designating specific WEAs within the Call area and developing lease terms and conditions to mitigate any possible adverse impacts from leasing and site assessment activities. . . .
BOEM requests comments regarding the following features, activities, mitigations, or concerns within or around the Call area. Commenters should be as specific and detailed as possible to help BOEM understand and address the comments. Where applicable, spatial information should be submitted in a format compatible with ESRI ArcGIS (ESRI shapefile or ESRI file geodatabase) in the NAD 83 geographic coordinate system. . . .
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-08670