[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 9 (Friday, January 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2251-2252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00513]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0004]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for 
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the 
Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and 
Virginia

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the 
availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) to consider the 
potential environmental impacts associated with possible wind energy-
related leasing, site assessment, and site characterization activities 
on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This notice of 
availability (NOA) announces the start of the public review and comment 
period, as well as the dates and times for public meetings on the draft 
EA. After BOEM holds the public meetings and addresses public comments 
submitted during the review period, BOEM will publish a final EA. The 
EA will inform BOEM's decision whether to issue wind energy leases in 
the Central Atlantic Wind Energy Areas (WEAs).

DATES: Comments must be received no later than February 12, 2024. 
BOEM's virtual public meetings will be held on the following dates at 
the times (eastern time) indicated.
     Tuesday, January 30; 5:00 p.m.
     Thursday, February 1; 1:00 p.m.
    Registration for the virtual public meeting is required and may be 
completed at https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic. Meeting information will be sent to registrants via 
their email address provided during registration.

ADDRESSES: The draft EA and detailed information about the Central 
Atlantic WEAs can be found on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic. Comments can be 
submitted in any of the following ways:
     Orally or in written form during any of the public 
meetings identified in this NOA.
     In written form by mail or any other delivery service, 
enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Central Atlantic Wind Leasing EA'' 
and addressed to Chief, Office of Renewable Energy

[[Page 2252]]

Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, 
Mailstop VAM-OREP, Sterling, VA 20166.
     Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to 
https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2024-0004. 
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, VAM-OREP, Sterling, 
Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1730 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: The draft EA analyzes the proposed action, which 
is issuing wind energy leases in the Central Atlantic WEAs, and the no 
action alternative. The lease sale itself would not authorize any 
activities on the OCS. Therefore, the EA considers the reasonably 
foreseeable environmental consequences of site characterization surveys 
(i.e., biological, archeological, geological and geophysical surveys, 
and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of 
meteorological buoys), which are expected to take place following lease 
issuance. BOEM decided to prepare an EA for this proposed action in 
order to assist the agency's planning and decision-making (40 CFR 
1501.5(b)).
    Availability of the Draft EA: The draft EA and associated 
information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/central-atlantic. If you require a 
digital copy on a flash drive or a paper copy, BOEM will provide one 
upon request, if supplies are available. You may request a flash drive 
or paper copy of the draft EA by contacting Lisa Landers at (703) 787-
1520 or [email protected].
    Cooperating Agencies: The following Federal agencies participated 
as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the draft EA: the Bureau 
of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection 
Agency. The Town of Ocean City, Maryland, also participated as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the draft EA.
    Information on Submitting Comments: All comments from identified 
individuals, businesses, and organizations will be available for public 
viewing on regulations.gov. Note that BOEM will make available for 
public inspection all comments submitted by organizations and 
businesses, or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives 
of organizations or businesses.

a. Freedom of Information Act

    BOEM will protect privileged or confidential information that you 
submit as required by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Exemption 
4 of FOIA applies to trade secrets and commercial or financial 
information that is privileged or confidential. If you wish to protect 
the confidentiality of such information, clearly label it and request 
that BOEM treat it as confidential. BOEM will not disclose such 
information if BOEM determines under 30 CFR 585.114(b) that it 
qualifies for exemption from disclosure under FOIA. Please label 
privileged or confidential information ``Contains Confidential 
Information'' and consider submitting such information as a separate 
attachment.
    BOEM will not treat as confidential any aggregate summaries of 
information or any comments not containing privileged or confidential 
information. Information that is not labeled as privileged or 
confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.

b. Personally Identifiable Information

    BOEM discourages anonymous comments. Please include your name and 
address as part of your comment. You should be aware that your entire 
comment, including your name, address, and any other personally 
identifiable information (PII) that you include, may be made publicly 
available.
    For BOEM to consider withholding your PII from disclosure, you must 
identify any information contained in your comments that, if released, 
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal 
privacy. You must also briefly describe any possible harmful 
consequences of the disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, 
injury, or other harm. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the 
context of this notice, your comment is subject to FOIA. If your 
comment is requested under FOIA, BOEM will withhold your information 
only if it determines that one of FOIA's exemptions to disclosure 
applies. Such a determination will be made in accordance with the 
Department's FOIA regulations and applicable law.

c. Section 304 of the NHPA (54 U.S.C. 307103(a))

    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.
    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. 2024-00513 Filed 1-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P