[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 210 (Monday, October 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 75438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26237]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2016-0066]
Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and
Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf
Offshore New York; MMAA104000
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a revised environmental assessment
and a finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the availability of a revised environmental
assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for
commercial wind lease issuance, site characterization activities
(geophysical, geotechnical, archaeological, and biological surveys),
and site assessment activities (including the installation and
operation of a meteorological tower or buoys or both a tower and buoys)
on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf offshore New York. The revised
EA provides a discussion of potential impacts of the proposed action
and an analysis of reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. 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 is not required. This notice is
being published concurrently with the Final Sale Notice for the New
York Wind Energy Area (WEA). These documents and associated information
are available on BOEM's Web site at http://www.boem.gov/New-York/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Morin, BOEM Office of
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia
20166, (703) 787-1340 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In June 2016, BOEM published an EA to
consider the reasonably foreseeable environmental consequences
associated with commercial wind lease issuance, site characterization
activities, and site assessment activities within the WEA offshore New
York. A notice was published on June 6, 2016, to announce the
availability of the EA and initiate a 30-day public comment period (81
FR 36344). Due to requests for extension, the public comment period
closed on July 13, 2016. The EA was subsequently revised based on
comments received through Regulations.gov and at public information
meetings during the comment period. The revised EA provides updated
environmental data, incorporates the results of consultations, and
reflects a change to the proposed lease area (i.e., removal of Cholera
Bank sensitive habitat). The revised EA also includes a summary of
comments received on the June 2016 EA and BOEM's responses to those
comments.
In addition to the proposed action, the revised EA considers two
alternatives: (1) Restricting site assessment structure placement
within 2 nm (3.7 km) of the traffic separation scheme, and (2) no
action. BOEM's analysis of the proposed action and alternatives takes
into account standard operating conditions (SOCs) designed to avoid or
minimize potential impacts to marine mammals and sea turtles. The SOCs
can be found in Appendix B of the revised EA.
BOEM will use the revised EA to inform its decisions regarding
lease issuance in the New York WEA and subsequent review of site
assessment plans in the lease area. The competitive leasing process is
set forth at 30 CFR 585.210-585.225. A future lessee may propose a wind
energy generation facility on its lease by submitting a construction
and operations plan (COP) to BOEM. BOEM would then prepare a separate
site- and project-specific NEPA analysis of the activities proposed in
the COP.
Authority: This notice of availability for an EA is in
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.), and is published pursuant
to 43 CFR 46.305.
Dated: October 25, 2016.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-26237 Filed 10-28-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P