[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 34184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10890]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2023-0029]


Notice of Availability of a Final 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; final environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: BOEM announces the availability of the final environmental 
impact statement (FEIS) 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 FEIS 
analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Project as 
described in the COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the 
proposed action. The FEIS will inform BOEM's decision whether to 
approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove the COP.

ADDRESSES: The FEIS 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.

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: 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 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, 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 
draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and carried forward 6 
alternatives for further analysis in the DEIS and FEIS. 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 appendix C of the FEIS. The 
screening criteria included consistency with law and regulations, 
technical and economic feasibility, environmental impact, and 
geographic considerations.
    Availability of the FEIS: The FEIS, 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 FEIS to all parties listed in 
appendix K of the FEIS. If you require a digital copy of the FEIS on 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 FEIS by contacting Lisa Landers at (703) 787-1520 or 
[email protected].
    Cooperating Agencies: The following 11 Federal agencies and State 
governmental entities participated as cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the FEIS: Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; National Marine 
Fisheries Service; National Park Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; 
U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Department of 
Defense; New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; New Jersey Department of 
Environmental Protection; and New York State Department of State.
    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. 2023-10890 Filed 5-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P