[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 47 (Friday, March 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 14153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05176]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2021-0012]


Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for Vineyard Wind LLC's Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore 
Massachusetts

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; final environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
regulations, BOEM announces the availability of the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) prepared for the Vineyard Wind Offshore Wind 
Energy Project Construction and Operation Plan (COP) submitted by 
Vineyard Wind LLC (Vineyard Wind). The FEIS analyzes the potential 
environmental impacts of the COP (the proposed action) and alternatives 
to it and will inform BOEM's decision whether to approve, approve with 
modifications, or disapprove the COP.

ADDRESSES: The FEIS can be found on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/Vineyard-Wind/.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Proposed Action: Vineyard Wind seeks to construct, operate, 
maintain, and eventually decommission an 800-megawatt wind energy 
facility on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Massachusetts 
(the Project). The Project and associated export cables would be 
developed within the range of design parameters outlined in the 
Vineyard Wind COP, subject to applicable mitigation measures. The COP 
proposes installing up to 100 wind turbine generators and one or two 
offshore substations or electrical service platforms. As currently 
proposed, the Project would be located approximately 14 miles southeast 
of Martha's Vineyard and a similar distance southwest of Nantucket. The 
turbines would be located in water depths ranging from approximately 37 
to 49 meters (121 to 161 feet). The COP proposes one export cable 
landfall near the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Onshore 
construction and staging are proposed to take place at the New Bedford 
Marine Commerce Terminal.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 20 alternatives during the 
preparation of the EIS and carried forward seven for further analysis. 
These alternatives included six action alternatives (one of which has 
two sub-alternatives) and the no action alternative. The other 13 
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 used included: Consistency with 
statutes and regulations; operational, technical, and economic 
feasibility; environmental impact; and geographical considerations. The 
FEIS also considers mitigation and monitoring measures that BOEM and 
other agencies may select.
    Availability of the FEIS: The FEIS, Vineyard Wind COP, and 
associated information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/Vineyard-Wind/. BOEM has distributed digital copies of the 
FEIS to all parties listed in the FEIS appendix J, which includes the 
location of all libraries receiving a copy. If you require a paper 
copy, BOEM will provide one upon request, as long as copies are 
available. You may request a CD or paper copy of the FEIS by calling 
(847) 258-8992.
    Cooperating Agencies: The following nine agencies and governmental 
entities participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the 
FEIS: The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency; the National Marine Fisheries Service; 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the U.S. Coast Guard; the 
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management; the Rhode Island 
Department of Environmental Management; the Rhode Island Coastal 
Resource Management Council; and the Narragansett Indian Tribe.

    Authority: This NOA was prepared under NEPA, as amended (42 
U.S.C. 4231 et seq.), and published in accordance with 40 CFR 
1506.6.

William Yancey Brown,
Chief Environmental Officer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-05176 Filed 3-11-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P