The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed its draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the potential issuance of an offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine.
The State of Maine requested the research lease for the purpose of investigating potential floating offshore wind development. The research site lies 20 nautical miles off the coast of Maine, roughly southeast of Portland. If developed, it would comprise up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144 MW of renewable energy.
BOEM will publish in the Federal Register a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft EA, which will mark the official start of the 30-day public comment period that will end at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 21.
“BOEM is committed to maintaining open and transparent communication and values this opportunity for public input to help inform any future decisions,” says BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We look forward to hearing from our Tribal and government partners, as well as all stakeholders and ocean users, as we move forward with this process.”
During the public comment period, BOEM will hold two virtual public meetings on the draft EA where the public can learn more about the EA process and next steps, potential impacts from the proposed research lease and proposals to avoid, minimize or mitigate potential impacts. In addition, during the virtual meetings attendees will be invited to provide comments for the record.
Registration is required for the meetings, which will be held on:
- Tue., Aug. 1, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
- Thur., Aug. 3, 2023, at 1:00 p.m.
After BOEM considers public comments submitted during the review period, it will publish a final EA that will inform its decision on whether to issue the research lease.
More details about the draft EA, instructions on how to submit comments and information on the public meetings can be found on BOEM’s website.
