[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1520-1521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00100]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2020-0066]


Notice of Public Meetings and of Availability of a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for Deepwater South Fork LLC's Proposed 
Wind Energy Facility Offshore Rhode Island

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement and public meetings.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with regulations issued under the National 
Environmental Policy Act, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) 
is announcing the availability of the South Fork Wind Farm (SFWF) and 
South Fork Export Cable (SFEC) Project Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) prepared for a construction and operations plan (COP) 
submitted by Deepwater South Fork LLC (South Fork). The DEIS analyzes 
reasonably foreseeable effects from the construction, operation and 
maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of up to 15 wind turbine 
generators, an offshore substation, inter-array cables in lease area 
OCS-A 0517, and the installation of an export cable from the lease area 
to Suffolk County, Long Island (collectively, the ``Project''). This 
notice of availability (NOA) announces the start of the public review 
and comment period, as well as the times and dates for virtual public 
meetings, on the DEIS. After BOEM holds the public meetings and 
addresses comments provided, BOEM will publish a final environmental 
impact statement.

DATES: Comments should be submitted no later than February 22, 2021. 
BOEM's virtual public meetings will be held at the following dates and 
times (Eastern):

Tuesday, February 9, 2021; 1:00-3:00 p.m.;
Thursday, February 11, 2021; 5:00-7:00 p.m.; and
Tuesday, February 16, 2021; 5:00-7:00 p.m.
    Registration for the virtual public meetings may be completed here: 
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/south-fork-wind-farm-deis-virtual-meetings or by calling (703) 787-1662.

ADDRESSES: The DEIS and detailed information about the proposed wind 
energy facility, including the COP, can be found on BOEM's website at: 
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/south-fork. 
Comments can be submitted in any of the following ways:
     In written form by mail, enclosed in an envelope labeled 
``South Fork COP DEIS'' and addressed to Program Manager, Office of 
Renewable Energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland 
Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166. Comments must be received or postmarked 
no later than February 22, 2021; or
     Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to 
htttp://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2020-0066. 
Click on the ``Comment Now!'' button to the right of the document link. 
Enter your information and comment, then click ``Submit.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the DEIS or BOEM's 
policies associated with this notice, please contact: Michelle Morin, 
Chief, Environment Branch for Renewable Energy, BOEM Office of 
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 
20166, (703) 787-1722 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Proposed Action: South Fork seeks approval to construct, operate, 
maintain, and eventually decommission the Project--a wind energy 
facility on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Rhode Island and 
an associated export cable. The Project would be developed within the 
range of design parameters outlined in the South Fork COP, subject to 
applicable mitigation measures. The SFWF includes up to 15 wind turbine 
generators with a nameplate capacity of 6 to 12 megawatts per turbine, 
submarine cables between the wind turbine generators (inter-array 
cables), and an offshore substation, all located entirely on the OCS in 
Federal waters in Lease Area OCS-A 0517, approximately 19 miles 
southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, and 35 miles east of Montauk 
Point, New York. The SFEC is an alternating current electric cable that 
will connect the wind farm to the existing mainland electric grid in 
East Hampton, New York. The Project also includes an operations and 
maintenance facility located onshore at either Montauk in East Hampton, 
New York, or Quonset Point in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and a new 
facility that will interconnect the SFEC with the Long Island Power 
Authority electric transmission and distribution system in the town of 
East Hampton, New York.
    The DEIS analyzes reasonably foreseeable effects from the Project. 
The analysis includes a review of resource-specific baseline conditions 
and future offshore wind activities, and, using the methodology and 
assumptions outlined in the document, assesses cumulative impacts that 
could result from the incremental impact of the proposed action and 
action alternatives as defined in the DEIS when combined with past, 
present, or reasonably foreseeable activities, including other 
potential future offshore wind activities.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 22 alternatives when preparing the 
DEIS and carried forward four for further analysis in the DEIS. These 
four alternatives include three action alternatives and the No Action 
alternative. Eighteen alternatives were not further analyzed because 
they did not meet the purpose and need for the proposed action or did 
not meet screening criteria. The screening criteria included 
consistency with law and regulations; operational, technical, and 
economic feasibility; environmental impact; and geographical 
considerations.
    Availability of the DEIS: The DEIS, South Fork COP, and associated 
information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/south-fork. BOEM distributed digital 
copies of the DEIS to all parties listed in Appendix B, which includes 
the location of all libraries receiving a copy. If you require a paper 
copy, BOEM will provide one upon request, if copies are available. You 
may request a DVD or paper copy of the DEIS by calling (703) 787-1662.
    Cooperating Agencies: Ten agencies or governmental entities 
participated as cooperating agencies in preparing the DEIS: Bureau of 
Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; Massachusetts Office of Coastal 
Zone Management; Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management; 
Rhode Island Coastal Resource Management Council; Town of East Hampton, 
and the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonality of the Town of East 
Hampton.
    BOEM does not consider anonymous comments. Please include your name 
and address as part of your submittal. BOEM makes all comments, 
including the names and addresses of respondents, available for public 
review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may 
request that BOEM withhold their names or addresses from the public 
record; however, BOEM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. 
If you wish your name or address to be withheld, you

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must state your preference prominently at the beginning of your 
comment. All submissions from organizations or businesses and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

    Authority:  This NOA was prepared under Council on Environmental 
Quality NEPA regulations, 40 CFR 1500-1508 (as in place before July 
16, 2020) and published in accordance with 40 CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 
46.435.

William Yancey Brown,
Chief Environmental Officer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-00100 Filed 1-7-21; 8:45 am]
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