The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced its Gulf of Maine Call for Information and Nominations, which invites the public to comment on, and assesses interest in, potential commercial wind energy development in areas off the shores of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
BOEM will publish the Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Gulf of Maine Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) – Call for Information and Nominations in the Federal Register on Apr. 26, which will initiate a 45-day public comment period. BOEM will accept nominations and comments through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Jun. 12.
After the public comment period closes, BOEM will review and analyze commercial nominations and public comments submitted in response to the call. BOEM will also consider information from government and Tribal consultations and the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to further evaluate the appropriateness of the call area for offshore wind energy development.
“The feedback that we have received prior to this announcement has been extremely valuable in informing the process and understanding the unique dynamics that the Gulf of Maine presents,” says BOEM Project Coordinator Zach Jylkka. “The success of BOEM’s commercial leasing process hinges upon continued public input, and we are fortunate that many passionate and knowledgeable individuals and organizations are willing to share their experiences and expertise to help shape these important outcomes.”
In August 2022, the Department of the Interior announced a request for interest (RFI) to gauge whether commercial interest existed in obtaining wind energy leases within an area in the Gulf of Maine comprising about 13.7 million acres. BOEM worked collaboratively with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to conduct a spatial analysis of the RFI area. This analysis, in combination with public comments on the RFI, led to the creation of a draft call area.
BOEM hosted a series of information exchanges on the draft call area in January and February to get feedback from Tribes, states, existing ocean users and the general public. The final call area reduces the RFI area to 9.8 million acres, a nearly 30% reduction. In the final call area, BOEM removed approximately 160,000 acres from future consideration to avoid Georges Bank.
The call area remains broad to provide flexibility to minimize conflicts with other uses. BOEM has identified four areas that BOEM specifically seeks public input on during this next phase of review, including: Lobster Management Area I, Platts Bank, Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Restricted Areas, and Georges Bank (the immediately adjacent area along the southern boundary of the call area).
Photo by Brad Weaver on Unsplash
