[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 121 (Friday, June 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37883-37884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13490]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2022-0021]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for Ocean Wind, LLC's Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore New Jersey

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; draft environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: BOEM announces the availability of the draft environmental 
impact statement (DEIS) for the construction and operations plan (COP) 
submitted by Ocean Wind, LLC (Ocean Wind) for its proposed Ocean Wind 1 
Offshore Wind Farm Project (Project) offshore New Jersey. The DEIS 
analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Project as 
described in the COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the 
proposed action. This notice of availability (NOA) announces the start 
of the public review and comment period, as well as the dates and times 
for virtual public hearings on the DEIS. After BOEM holds the public 
hearings and addresses comments provided, BOEM will publish a final 
environmental impact statement (EIS). The EIS will inform BOEM's 
decision whether to approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove 
the COP.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 8, 2022. BOEM's 
virtual public hearings will be held at the following dates and times 
(eastern time).
     Thursday, July 14, 2022; 1:00 p.m.
     Wednesday, July 20, 2022; 5:00 p.m.; and,
     Tuesday, July 26, 2022; 5:00 p.m.
    Registration for the virtual public hearings may be completed here: 
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/ocean-wind-1 or 
by calling (703) 787-1520.

ADDRESSES: The DEIS and detailed information about the Project, 
including the COP, can be found on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/ocean-wind-1. Comments 
can be submitted in any of the following ways:
     In written form by mail, enclosed in an envelope labeled 
``Ocean Wind 1 COP DEIS'' and addressed to Program Manager, Office of 
Renewable Energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland 
Road, Sterling, VA 20166.
     Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2022-0021. Click on 
the ``Comment'' button below the document link. Enter your information 
and comment, then click ``Submit Comment.''
    A registration link for each of the virtual public hearings is 
provided on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/ocean-wind-1.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Morin, BOEM Office of 
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 
20166, (703) 787-1722 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: Ocean Wind seeks approval to construct, operate, 
and maintain the Project: a wind energy facility and its associated 
export cables on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New Jersey. 
The Project would be developed within the range of design parameters 
outlined in the Ocean Wind 1 COP, subject to applicable mitigation 
measures. The Project as proposed in the COP would include up to 98 
wind turbine generators (WTGs), up to 3 offshore high voltage 
alternating current substations, inter-array cables linking

[[Page 37884]]

the individual turbines to the offshore substations, substation 
interconnector cables linking the substations to each other, offshore 
export cables, an onshore export cable system, 2 onshore substations, 
and connections to the existing electrical grid in New Jersey. The WTGs 
and offshore substations, inter-array cables, and substation 
interconnector cables would be located on the OCS approximately 13 
nautical miles (15 statute miles) southeast of Atlantic City, New 
Jersey, within the area defined by Renewable Energy Lease OCS-A 0498 
(Lease Area). The offshore export cables would be buried below the 
seabed surface in the OCS and State of New Jersey owned submerged 
lands. The onshore export cables, substations, and grid connections 
would be located in Ocean County and Cape May County, New Jersey.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 26 alternatives when preparing the 
DEIS and carried forward 6 alternatives for further analysis in the 
DEIS. These six alternatives include five action alternatives and the 
no action alternative. Twenty alternatives were rejected because they 
did not meet the purpose and need for the proposed action or did not 
meet screening criteria, which are presented in DEIS appendix C. The 
screening criteria included consistency with law and regulations; 
technical and economic feasibility; environmental impact; and 
geographic considerations.
    Availability of the DEIS: The DEIS, Ocean Wind 1 COP, and 
associated information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/ocean-wind-1. BOEM has 
distributed digital copies of the DEIS to all parties listed in DEIS 
appendix K, which also includes the location of all libraries receiving 
a copy. If you require a flash drive or paper copy, BOEM will provide 
one upon request, as long as copies are available. You may request a 
flash drive or paper copy of the DEIS by calling (703) 787-1520.
    Cooperating Agencies: The following nine Federal agencies and State 
governmental entities participated as cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the DEIS: Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; National Marine 
Fisheries Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Defense; New Jersey Department 
of Environmental Protection; and New York State Department of State. 
The National Park Service participated as a participating agency.
    Information on Submitting Comments: BOEM does not consider 
anonymous comments. Please include your name and address as part of 
your comment. BOEM makes all comments, including the names and 
addresses of respondents, available for public review online and during 
regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that BOEM 
withhold their names, addresses, or any other personal identifiable 
information (PII) included in their comment from the public record; 
however, BOEM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. If you 
wish your name, address, or other PII to be withheld, you must state 
your request prominently in a cover letter and explain the harm that 
you fear from its disclosure such as unwarranted privacy invasion, 
embarrassment, or injury. 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: 42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq. (NEPA, as amended) and 40 CFR 
1506.6.

William Y. Brown,
Chief Environmental Officer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2022-13490 Filed 6-23-22; 8:45 am]
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