The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) says it will be conducting a regional environmental review of potential development activities on the five offshore wind lease areas off California’s central and north coasts.
A Notice of Intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will publish in the Federal Register on Dec. 20, initiating a 60-day comment period. The input gathered during the period will inform the scope and alternatives of the PEIS.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to responsibly harnessing the clean energy and economic potential of offshore wind in California,” says BOEM’s Doug Boren. “This regional environmental analysis will help ensure that timely decisions can be made to advance offshore wind while protecting the ocean environment, marine life and other ocean uses. This approach also ensures both a comprehensive review of the California areas and improved efficiencies for future offshore wind project reviews.”
The PEIS will describe the potential impacts of federal offshore wind energy development activities off California’s coast, as well as the change in those impacts that could result from adopting programmatic mitigation measures. BOEM will conduct subsequent site-specific NEPA analyses and consultations for individual proposed projects as construction and operations plans for those projects are received.
