[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32242-32243]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10691]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2023-0030]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1, LLC and Atlantic Shores 
Offshore Wind Project 2, LLC's Proposed Wind Energy Facilities Offshore 
New Jersey

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 Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1, LLC and Atlantic 
Shores Offshore Wind Project 2, LLC for their proposed Atlantic Shores 
South Wind 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 public hearings 
on the DEIS. After BOEM holds the public hearings and addresses public 
comments submitted during the review period, 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 July 3, 2023. BOEM's 
public hearings will be held on the following dates at the times 
(eastern time) indicated.
     Holiday Inn Manahawkin/Long Beach Island, 151 Route 72 
West, Manahawkin, NJ 08050; Wednesday, June 21, 2023; 5:00 p.m.
     Atlantic City Convention Center, 1 Convention Blvd., 
Atlantic City, NJ 08401; Thursday, June 22, 2023; 5:00 p.m.
     Virtual, Monday, June 26, 2023; 1:00 p.m.
     Virtual, Wednesday, June 28, 2023; 5:00 p.m.
    Registration for in person meetings is not required. Registration 
for the virtual public hearing is required and may be completed at 
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/atlantic-shores-south or by calling (702) 338-4766. Meeting information will be sent to 
registrants via their email address provided during registration.

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/atlantic-shores-south. 
Comments can be submitted in any of the following ways:
     Orally or in written form during any of the public 
hearings identified in this NOA.
     In written form by mail or any other delivery service, 
enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Atlantic Shores South DEIS'' and 
addressed to Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, 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-2023-0030. 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.

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: Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1, LLC and 
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 2, LLC (collectively Atlantic 
Shores) seek approval to construct, own, operate, and maintain the 
Project, which would consist of two wind energy facilities (Project 1 
and Project 2) and their 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 COP, 
subject to applicable mitigation measures.
    The Project would be located about 8.7 statute miles (14 kilometers 
(km)) offshore New Jersey in the area defined in BOEM's renewable 
energy lease OCS-A 0499 (Lease Area). The Lease Area covers 
approximately 102,124 acres (413.3-km\2\). Project 1 is located in the 
western 54,175 acres (219.2 km\2\) of the Lease Area, and Project 2 is 
located in the eastern 31,847 acres (128.9 km\2\) of the Lease Area, 
with a 16,102 acre (65.2-km\2\) overlap area that could be used by 
either Project 1 or Project 2. The Project would comprise up to 200 
total wind turbine generators (WTGs) (between 105 and 136 WTGs for 
Project 1 and between 64 and 95 WTGs for Project 2), up to 10 offshore 
substations (up to 5 in each project), 1 permanent meteorological (met) 
tower, up to 4 temporary meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) 
buoys (1 met tower and up to 3 metocean buoys in Project 1 and 1 
metocean buoy in Project 2), inter-array and inter-link cables, up to 2 
onshore substations, 1 operations and maintenance facility, and up to 8 
transmission cables making landfall at up to 2 New Jersey locations: 
the Atlantic County landfall site in

[[Page 32243]]

Atlantic City, New Jersey, or the Monmouth County landfall site in Sea 
Girt, New Jersey, or both. Project 1 proposes to produce 1,510 MW. The 
MW for Project 2 has not been determined as Atlantic Shores is still 
seeking an offtake power agreement for Project 2.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 21 alternatives when preparing the 
DEIS and carried forward 6 alternatives for further analysis in the 
DEIS. These 6 alternatives include 5 action alternatives and the no 
action alternative. BOEM did not analyze in detail 15 of the 21 
alternatives because they did not meet the purpose and need for the 
proposed action or did not meet screening criteria, which are presented 
in chapter 2 of the DEIS. The screening criteria included consistency 
with law and regulations, technical and economic feasibility, 
environmental impact, and geographic considerations.
    Availability of the DEIS: The DEIS, COP, and associated information 
are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/atlantic-shores-south. BOEM has distributed 
digital copies of the DEIS to all parties listed in appendix M of the 
DEIS, which also includes the location of all libraries receiving a 
copy. If you require a digital copy on a flash drive or paper copy, 
BOEM will provide one upon request, if supplies are available. You may 
request a flash drive or paper copy of the DEIS by contacting Kimberly 
Sullivan at (702) 338-4766 or [email protected].
    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, New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and New York State 
Department of State. The National Park Service and the Advisory Council 
on Historic Preservation were participating agencies.
    Information on Submitting Comments: BOEM does not encourage the 
submittal of anonymous comments. Please include your name and address 
as part of your comment. BOEM makes your comment, 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 FOIA or a relevant 
court order, your information will only be withheld if a determination 
is made that one of the FOIA's 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. 
Consistent with section 304 of the NHPA (54 U.S.C. 307103(a)) and after 
consultation with the Secretary, BOEM is required to withhold the 
location, character, or ownership of historic resources if it 
determines that disclosure may, among other things, risk harm to the 
historic resources or impede the use of a traditional religious site by 
practitioners. Tribal entities should designate information that falls 
under section 304 of NHPA as confidential.
    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 J. Baker,
Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management.
[FR Doc. 2023-10691 Filed 5-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P