[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 241 (Friday, December 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77136-77137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27185]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2022-0071]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for Sunrise Wind, LLC's Proposed Sunrise Wind Farm Offshore New York

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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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 Sunrise Wind, LLC (Sunrise Wind) for its proposed Sunrise 
Wind Offshore Wind Farm Project (Project) offshore New York, 
Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. 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 the comment period and public hearings, 
BOEM will publish a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) 
addressing comments received on the DEIS. The FEIS will inform BOEM's 
decision whether to approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove 
the COP.

[[Page 77137]]


DATES: Comments must be received no later than February 14, 2023. BOEM 
will conduct three virtual public hearings. BOEM's virtual public 
hearings will be held at the following times (eastern time).
     Wednesday, January 18, 2023; 5:00 p.m.
     Thursday, January 19, 2023; 5:00 p.m.
     Monday, January 23, 2023; 1:00 p.m.

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/sunrise-wind-activities. 
Comments can be submitted in any of the following ways:
     Orally or in written form during any of the virtual public 
hearings identified in this NOA.
     In written form by mail or any other delivery service, 
enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Sunrise Wind COP DEIS'' and addressed 
to Program Manager, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166.
     Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to 
https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2022-0071. 
Click on the ``Comment'' button below the document link. Enter your 
information and comment, then click ``Submit Comment.''
    For more information about submitting comments, please see 
``Information on Submitting Comments'' under the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION heading below.
    Registration for the virtual public hearings may be completed here: 
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/sunrise-wind-activities or by calling (703) 787-1520. Registration for the virtual 
hearings is required. Meeting information will be sent to registrants 
via their email address provided during registration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Stromberg, BOEM Office of 
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 
20166, (703) 787-1730 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: Sunrise Wind seeks approval to construct, operate, 
and maintain a wind energy facility and its associated export cables on 
the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New York, Massachusetts, and 
Rhode Island. The Project would be developed within the range of design 
parameters outlined in the Sunrise Wind COP, subject to the applicable 
mitigation measures. The Project as proposed in the COP would include 
up to 94 wind turbine generators (WTGs) within 102 potential locations, 
1 offshore converter station, inter-array cables linking the individual 
WTGs to the offshore substation, 1 offshore export cable, 1 onshore 
converter station, 1 fiber optic cable co-located with the onshore 
transmission route, and onshore interconnection cables connecting to 
the existing electrical grid in New York. The WTGs, offshore 
substation, and inter-array cables would be located on the OCS 
approximately 16.4 nautical miles (nm) (18.9 statute miles[mi]) south 
of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, approximately 26.5 nm (30.5 mi) 
east of Montauk, New York, and 14.5 nm (16.7 mi) from Block Island, 
Rhode Island, within the area defined by Renewable Energy Lease OCS-A 
0487 (Lease Area). The offshore export cables would be buried below the 
seabed surface on the U.S. OCS and State of New York-owned submerged 
lands. The onshore export cables, substation, and grid connection would 
be located in Holbrook, New York.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 16 alternatives when preparing the 
DEIS and carried forward 3 alternatives for further analysis in the 
DEIS. These three alternatives include two action alternatives and the 
no action alternative. BOEM did not analyze in detail 13 of the 
alternatives because they did not meet the purpose and need for the 
proposed action or did not meet screening criteria, which are presented 
in DEIS chapter 2. The screening criteria included consistency with law 
and regulations; technical and economic feasibility; environmental 
impacts; and geographic considerations.
    Availability of the DEIS: The DEIS, Sunrise Wind COP, and 
associated information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/sunrise-wind-activities. 
BOEM has distributed digital copies of the DEIS to all parties listed 
in DEIS appendix M. If you require a flash drive or paper copy, BOEM 
will provide one upon request, as long as supplies are available. You 
may request a flash drive or paper copy of the DEIS by calling (504) 
736-5713.
    Cooperating Agencies: The following Federal agencies and State 
governmental entities participated as cooperating agencies under the 
National Environmental Policy Act 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; National Park Service; U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service; New York Department of State; Massachusetts Office of 
Coastal Zone Management; Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management 
Council; and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
    Information on Submitting Comments: BOEM does not consider 
anonymous comments. Please include your name and address as part of 
your comment. BOEM makes your comments, including your name and 
address, available for public review online and during regular business 
hours. You may request that BOEM withhold your name, address, or any 
other personally identifiable information (PII) included in your 
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. Even if BOEM 
withholds your information in the context of this notice, your comment 
is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and any relevant 
court orders. If your comment is requested under the FOIA or relevant 
court order, your information will only be withheld if a determination 
is made that one of the FOIA exemptions to disclosure applies or if the 
relevant court order is challenged. Such a determination will be made 
in accordance with the Department of the Interior's FOIA regulations 
and applicable law.
    Please label privileged or confidential information as ``Contains 
Confidential Information,'' and consider submitting such information as 
a separate attachment. Information that is not labeled as privileged or 
confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.
    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.

Karen Baker,
Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management.
[FR Doc. 2022-27185 Filed 12-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P