[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