[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14881-14884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07106]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2018-0018]
Request for Feedback on BOEM's Proposed Path Forward for Future
Offshore Renewable Energy Leasing on the Atlantic Outer Continental
Shelf
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Request for feedback.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) invites the
public to contribute to the development of a path forward for future
renewable leasing offshore the United States Atlantic Coast. Thus far,
BOEM has issued 13 commercial leases on the Atlantic from North
Carolina to Massachusetts. BOEM is now conducting a high-level
assessment of all waters offshore the United States Atlantic Coast for
potential additional lease locations. BOEM proposes to rely on various
factors described below to help it assess which geographic areas along
the Atlantic are the most likely to have highest potential for
successful offshore wind development in the next three to five years.
BOEM is seeking input on all aspects of its proposed path forward, but
particularly on the merits of these factors and any other factors BOEM
should consider. This Atlantic assessment is intended to inform future
area identification processes, not replace them. Accordingly, after
reviewing the comments it receives pursuant to this notice, BOEM plans
to coordinate with its intergovernmental renewable energy task forces,
and conduct further stakeholder outreach as a part of its continuing
area identification efforts.
DATES: Stakeholders should submit comments electronically or postmarked
no later than May 21, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted in one of the two following
ways:
1. Electronically: http://www.regulations.gov. In the entry
entitled, ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' search for BOEM-2018-0018. Follow
the instructions to submit public comments in response to this
document.
2. Written Comments: In written form, delivered by hand or by mail,
enclosed in an envelope labeled, ``Comments on Request for Feedback''
to: Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, 45600 Woodland Road, VAM-OREP, Sterling, Virginia 20166.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Browning, BOEM Office of
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, VAM-OREP, Sterling,
Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1577 or [email protected]; Wright
Frank, BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road,
VAM-OREP, Sterling, Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1325 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: This notice is published pursuant to subsection 8(p) of
the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)),
added by section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the
implementing regulations at 30 CFR 585.116.
Overview: In this notice, BOEM has initially identified the
following factors to be considered in the analysis contemplated in this
notice:
[[Page 14882]]
Areas prohibited by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
(OCSLA) for leasing
Department of Defense (DoD) conflict areas
Maritime navigation conflict areas
Areas not previously removed from BOEM leasing consideration
Areas greater than 10 nautical miles from shore
Areas shallower than 60 meters in depth
Areas adjacent to states with offshore wind economic
incentives
Areas adjacent to states that have an interest in identifying
additional lease areas
Areas for which industry has expressed interest
BOEM is aware of many other factors that affect the appropriateness
of offshore development, including commercial and recreational
fisheries concerns, endangered species critical habitat, recreation and
tourism, and other environmental and multiple use concerns. However,
unlike the factors identified above, evaluation of these factors
requires a detailed, site-specific analysis that would not be
practicable on a landscape scale for the entire Atlantic Coast.
Accordingly, these factors will be thoroughly evaluated on a case-by-
case basis during future Calls for Information and Nominations and Area
Identification stages of BOEM's leasing process. This Atlantic
assessment, and the development of ``forecast areas'' as discussed
below, will help identify areas where BOEM may focus its leasing
efforts over the next three to five years as it collects more detailed,
site-specific information to ensure responsible leasing and development
of OCS renewable energy resources.
Background and Purpose: BOEM has now completed seven offshore wind
lease sales for wind energy areas in the Atlantic Ocean offshore
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia,
and North Carolina. Each of these sales were the result of processes
that BOEM undertook over a period of years to identify and reduce
potential conflicts between offshore wind leases and incompatible ocean
uses. BOEM has issued thirteen commercial leases (competitively or
noncompetitively) in every state with territorial waters bordering the
OCS from Massachusetts to North Carolina.
BOEM has received feedback from state and industry stakeholders
requesting that BOEM propose additional lease areas. This feedback has
been reinforced by increased competition in BOEM's most recent lease
sales in New York and North Carolina, as well as a recent increase in
the number of unsolicited lease applications submitted to BOEM. In
addition, stakeholders have requested that BOEM evaluate the next phase
of offshore wind leasing using a regional approach.
BOEM's intent in publishing this Notice is to start a conversation
surrounding its approach to future renewable energy leasing on the
Atlantic OCS. BOEM believes that additional areas of the Atlantic may
be viable for responsible and informed commercial wind development.
BOEM seeks input from stakeholders regarding areas where development
may or may not be appropriate, and what factors BOEM should consider in
the early stages of its future planning processes. This planning
exercise is not a replacement for BOEM's existing area identification
processes to determine Wind Energy Areas and issue leases through site-
specific analysis and stakeholder outreach. BOEM will continue to
pursue an area identification process in the future that is more
narrowly focused on specifically bounded offshore areas, utilizing
extensive analysis of site-specific conditions (e.g., fisheries,
navigation, seafloor conditions, etc.). Please refer to the following
web page (https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy/Path-Forward/) for
details on other opportunities to comment on this Request for Feedback
(RFF).
Proposed Factors for Identification of Offshore Wind Forecast
Areas: BOEM has preliminarily identified factors that, in BOEM's
experience, are likely to help it assess whether a given area is
appropriate for offshore wind energy development. Applying these
factors to the Atlantic OCS, BOEM plans to identify ``forecast areas''
along the Atlantic Coast that have the highest probability for offshore
wind development. The forecast areas would be those geographic
locations on the Atlantic OCS that have multiple positive factors
(i.e., factors that may facilitate offshore wind development), thereby
indicating a strong likelihood that offshore wind leasing may be
feasible in that area. Maps illustrating the application of each of the
factors geographically are available at: https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy/Path-Forward/.
Exclusionary Factors
The following factors would be considered exclusionary. At this
time, BOEM would consider them as creating ``no-go'' areas for offshore
wind.
OCSLA prohibited areas: Pursuant to the OCSLA, BOEM is prohibited
from leasing within the exterior boundaries of a unit of the National
Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Marine Sanctuary
System, or any National Monument.
DoD conflict areas: At this time, BOEM would not consider leasing
areas in the Atlantic designated as ``red'' by the DoD in its color-
coded assessments. DoD has designated these areas as incompatible with
wind energy development because of potential conflicts with mission
critical operations, training, or testing activities.
Maritime navigation conflict areas: At this time, BOEM would not
consider leasing areas within official (i.e., charted) marine vessel
traffic routing measures. Later in the Area Identification process,
BOEM would conduct a case-specific analysis of maritime vessel traffic
information (e.g., automatic identification system data) and might
further refine and delineate areas of high traffic use outside of
official traffic separation schemes and other routing measures.
Positive Factors
The factors discussed in this section would help BOEM identify the
locations that would be considered more favorable for wind energy
development. The greater the number of positive factors a location
exhibits, the greater the likelihood that location would fall within a
forecast area.
Areas not previously removed: Some areas of the OCS were removed
from consideration for leasing in BOEM's past Area Identification
processes for a variety of different reasons. In most cases, they were
removed for reasons that remain applicable today, such as certain high
value fishing areas off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island,
essential fish habitat offshore New York, and vessel traffic offshore
Maryland and New Jersey. Other areas of the OCS have not been removed
from leasing consideration, primarily because they have not been
previously evaluated, and may have potential for future wind energy
development. The areas that have not been removed from leasing
consideration previously are the focus of this factor. However, BOEM
asks that stakeholders review the removed areas and comment if they
believe BOEM should reconsider their prior removal.
Areas greater than 10 nautical miles (nm) from shore: BOEM
recognizes that an offshore wind energy facility may present viewshed
concerns for coastal stakeholders. In BOEM's previous area
identification efforts, it has imposed
[[Page 14883]]
various buffer distances from shore to address concerns about potential
visual impacts of wind development. The buffers are typically greater
than or equal to 10 nm from shore. BOEM requests feedback on whether
the 10 nm distance is a reasonable positive factor for this planning
exercise.
Areas shallower than 60 meters (m) in depth: Although fixed-bottom
substructures currently dominate the global offshore wind market, these
structures may not be economically feasible in water depths exceeding
60 m. Therefore, BOEM has chosen 60 m depth as a factor in identifying
forecast areas. However, BOEM recognizes the recent development of
floating wind turbine technologies that may be deployed in deeper
waters. BOEM is specifically requesting comments from stakeholders
regarding 60 m depth as a positive factor for the appropriateness of an
area for wind energy development, as well as the existence of specific
areas or OCS blocks deeper than 60 m that may be appropriate for
offshore renewable energy development.
Areas adjacent to states with offshore wind economic incentives:
BOEM recognizes that offshore wind development incentives offered by
coastal states, such as offshore renewable energy credits or other
offtake mechanisms, influence the demand for such development. BOEM has
identified the States of Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New
York, and New Jersey as examples of states that have either a
legislative or policy mandate incentivizing additional offshore wind
development. Power generation at locations within 60 nm of the coasts
of these states may feed into their electric grids, and the state
incentives therefore may facilitate offshore wind development.
Areas adjacent to states that have an interest in identifying
additional lease areas: State interest in offshore renewable energy
leasing has been an important element in BOEM's past identification of
Wind Energy Areas. State interest is often expressed through active
state engagement with stakeholders through BOEM intergovernmental task
forces and other venues. Proactive efforts by coastal states to
facilitate stakeholder engagement and discussion of key issues help
inform BOEM's identification of Wind Energy Areas. BOEM has identified
Massachusetts (only the remaining Massachusetts wind energy areas), New
York, and South Carolina as states that have an established
intergovernmental task force and are also facilitating stakeholder
engagement in support of future offshore wind leasing. BOEM invites
Atlantic Coast states to respond to this RFF by specifying their level
of interest in future offshore wind leasing within OCS areas adjacent
to their coastline.
Areas for which industry has expressed interest: This factor
includes areas where offshore wind developers have expressed interest
in leasing a specific location. BOEM received these expressions of
interest either in response to a Call for Information and Nominations
or via an unsolicited lease request. With respect to this factor, BOEM
has received two unsolicited lease requests for two wind energy areas
offshore Massachusetts (the same areas that did not receive bids in
Lease Sale ATLW-4 on January 29, 2015); an unsolicited application for
further development offshore New York; and expressions of commercial
interest in areas that BOEM has identified offshore North and South
Carolina (the Wilmington East and West Wind Energy Areas and the Grand
Strand Call Area). As part of this RFF, BOEM requests that developers
identify areas along the Atlantic Coast that may be of interest for
future offshore wind leasing. This request is not a formal Request for
Interest, but rather to inform BOEM's planning efforts for future
potential offshore wind leasing.
Areas with resource and locational potential (potential factor):
BOEM acknowledges that certain areas of the OCS may have greater
commercial potential than others. As described in a recent March 2017
publication (located at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/67675.pdf),
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a model
predicting the economic potential for specific portions of the OCS.
BOEM has identified this as a potential additional factor and has not
included it in the evaluation of forecast areas at this time. We are
requesting comments on the utility of this study in our planning
efforts--and, in particular, which parameter(s) of the NREL models
(energy potential, levelized cost of electricity, etc.), if any, would
be the most useful in identifying forecast areas.
BOEM is aware of many other factors that affect the appropriateness
of offshore development, including commercial and recreational
fisheries concerns, endangered species critical habitat, recreation and
tourism, and other environmental and multiple use concerns. However,
these factors are typically site-specific and will be thoroughly
evaluated on a case-by-case basis during any future Calls for
Information and Nominations and subsequent Area Identification stages
of BOEM's leasing process. BOEM will consider the information received
in response to this RFF to finalize the factors it will consider when
assessing the areas within which BOEM will focus future planning and
leasing efforts. A map of all factors applied to the waters offshore
the Atlantic Coast is available at: https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy/Path-Forward/.
Separately, BOEM will continue to consider unsolicited lease
requests pursuant to 30 CFR 585.230 for areas both inside and outside
of the forecast areas.
Regional Ocean Plans and Data Portals: BOEM encourages commenters
to consult the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portals, which are
key components of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Ocean Plans developed
by the intergovernmental Regional Planning Bodies (RPB). These data
portals are located at http://www.northeastoceandata.org/data-explorer/
and http://portal.midatlanticocean.org/. BOEM believes the use of the
Data Portals will lead to a better shared understanding of who or what
might be affected by a given proposed activity. In addition to the maps
characterizing existing energy and infrastructure activities, the Data
Portals contain a range of maps of marine life, habitat areas, cultural
resources, transportation, fishing, and other human uses to be
considered when new energy or other infrastructure developments are
proposed. The Data Portals also help to identify important user groups
for further engagement by BOEM during the leasing process, such as
commercial and recreational fishermen, commercial transportation
providers, and the military, who are most likely to interact with new
offshore energy developments.
Protection of Privileged or Confidential Information: BOEM will
protect privileged or confidential information that you submit, as
provided in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Exemption 4 of FOIA
applies to trade secrets and commercial or financial information. If
you wish to protect the confidentiality of such information, clearly
mark it and request that BOEM treat it as confidential. BOEM will not
disclose such information, except as provided in FOIA. Please label
privileged or confidential information ``Contains Confidential
Information'' and consider submitting such information as a separate
attachment.
BOEM will not treat as confidential any aggregate summaries of such
information or comments not containing such information. Additionally,
BOEM may not treat as confidential the legal
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title of the commenting entity (e.g., the name of your company).
Information that is not labeled as privileged or confidential may be
regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.
Dated: April 3, 2018.
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-07106 Filed 4-4-18; 8:45 am]
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