[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34781-34782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14004]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2014-0011; MMAA104000]
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on
the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Massachusetts
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of the Availability of a Revised Environmental
Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
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SUMMARY: BOEM has prepared a revised EA considering the reasonably
foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic effects of issuing
renewable energy leases and lessees' subsequent site characterization
[[Page 34782]]
activities (e.g., geophysical, geotechnical, archaeological, and
biological surveys) and site assessment activities (including the
installation and operation of meteorological towers and buoys) on those
leases that may be issued in the Wind Energy Area (WEA) on the OCS
offshore Massachusetts (MA). The purpose of this notice is to inform
the public of the availability of the revised EA and FONSI, which can
be accessed online at: http://www.boem.gov/State-Activities-Massachusetts.
In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ)
regulations implementing NEPA at 40 CFR 1500-1508, BOEM issued a FONSI
supported by the analysis in the revised EA. The FONSI concluded that
the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts associated with the
proposed action and alternatives, as set forth in the EA, would not
significantly impact the quality of the human environment; therefore,
the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not
required.
Authority: This notice is published pursuant to 43 CFR 46.305.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Morin, BOEM Office of
Renewable Energy Programs, 381 Elden Street, HM 1328, Herndon, Virginia
20170-4817, (703) 787-1340 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 2, 2012, BOEM published a Notice
of Availability (NOA) of an EA, requesting public comment on
alternatives considered in that 2012 EA. In addition, comments were
requested on measures to mitigate impacts to environmental resources
and socioeconomic conditions that could potentially occur in the MA WEA
and surrounding areas as a result of leasing, site characterization,
and site assessment activities in those areas (77 FR 66185).
The 2012 EA considered the impacts that could result from leasing
the entire MA WEA and BOEM's approval of site assessment plans within
that area. Comments received in response to the 2012 NOA can be viewed
at: http://www.regulations.gov by searching for Docket ID BOEM-2012-
0086.
Based on comments received on the 2012 EA, and results of required
consultations (e.g., Endangered Species Act), BOEM revised the 2012 EA.
BOEM will use this revised EA to inform decisions to issue leases in
the MA WEA, and to subsequently approve Site Assessment Plans (SAPs) on
those leases. BOEM may issue one or more commercial wind energy leases
in the MA WEA. The competitive lease process is set forth at 30 CFR
585.210-585.225.
A commercial lease gives the lessee the exclusive right to seek
BOEM approval for the development of the leasehold. The lease does not
grant the lessee the right to construct any facilities; rather, the
lease grants the lessee the right to use the leased area to develop its
plans, which BOEM must approve before the lessee may proceed to the
next stage of the process. See 30 CFR 585.600 and 585.601. In the event
that a particular lease is issued, and the lessee submits a SAP, BOEM
would then determine whether the revised EA adequately considers the
environmental consequences of the activities proposed in the lessee's
SAP. If BOEM determines that the analysis in the revised EA adequately
considers these consequences, then no further analysis under NEPA would
be required and BOEM could approve the SAP. If, on the other hand, BOEM
determines that the analysis in this revised EA is inadequate for that
purpose, BOEM would prepare additional NEPA analysis before it could
approve the SAP.
If a lessee is prepared to propose a wind energy generation
facility on its lease, it would submit a Construction and Operations
Plan (COP). BOEM then would prepare a separate site- and project-
specific NEPA analysis of the proposed project. This analysis would
likely take the form of an EIS in which BOEM would evaluate the
reasonably foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic consequences of
the proposed project. The EIS would provide the public and Federal
officials with comprehensive information regarding the reasonably
foreseeable environmental impacts of the proposed project and would
inform BOEM's decision to approve, approve with modification, or
disapprove a lessee's COP pursuant to 30 CFR 585.628. This process
would include additional opportunities for public involvement pursuant
to NEPA.
Dated: June 10, 2014.
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-14004 Filed 6-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P