The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Vineyard Wind LLC’s construction and operations plan (COP).
The plan submitted by Vineyard Wind would allow the developer to construct and operate an 800 MW wind facility offshore Massachusetts.
The publication of the NOI opens a 30-day public comment period. During this time, BOEM will conduct five public scoping meetings and accept comments. The input received via this process will be used to inform preparation of the EIS, says BOEM.
“BOEM will work with industry, government partners and other key stakeholders to make sure that any development is done in an environmentally safe and responsible manner. Public input plays an essential role for identifying and mitigating any potential impacts from proposed development activities,” notes Walter Cruickshank, BOEM’s acting director.
BOEM says its scoping process is intended to identify any important issues and potential alternatives for consideration in the Vineyard Wind COP EIS. Throughout the scoping process, there will be multiple opportunities to help BOEM determine significant resources and issues, impact-producing factors, reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigating measures to be analyzed in the EIS.
Earlier this year, BOEM took an important step toward making the regulatory process more transparent and flexible by publishing draft guidelines for the use of “design envelopes” in offshore wind COPs. This is the first COP received this year and the first to use this new approach, the agency says.
The 30-day public comment period extends through 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, April 30. More information on meeting times and locations can be found here.
