On April 6, as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, located in the Pacific approximately 20 miles off San Luis Obispo County, Calif. The EA was posted online and initiated the start of a 30-day public comment period, originally scheduled to end May 6.
That comment period has now been extended by 10 calendar days. BOEM will receive public comments on the draft EA through 11:59 p.m. ET on May 16.
The EA considers potential environmental impacts associated with issuing future commercial wind leases, including site characterization and site assessment activities in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area. Public comments and input are critical in informing BOEM’s decision-making process.