[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11313-11314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02985]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2023-0065]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for 
Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the U.S. 
Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) intends to 
prepare an 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. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Oregon. BOEM seeks public 
input regarding important environmental issues and the identification 
of reasonable alternatives that should be considered in the EA. BOEM 
will assess the environmental impacts of any proposed wind energy 
projects after a lease is issued and before deciding whether or not to 
approve any lessee's construction and operations plan.

DATES: BOEM must receive your comments no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern 
time on March 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to 
https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2023-0065 to 
submit public comments and view supporting and related materials 
available for this notice. Click on the ``Comment'' button below the 
document link. Enter your information and comment, then click ``Submit 
Comment''; or
     By U.S. Postal Service or other delivery service: Send 
your comments and information to: ``OREGON Environmental Assessment'' 
addressed to Chief, Environmental Assessment Section, Office of 
Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 760 Paseo Camarillo, 
Suite 102, Camarillo, California 93010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Gilbane, BOEM Pacific Region 
Office of Environment, 760 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 102, Camarillo, 
California 93010, (805) 384-6387 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: On August 15, 2023, BOEM announced two draft wind 
energy areas (WEAs) on the U.S. OCS offshore Oregon for public review 
and comment. BOEM has now finalized the WEAs. The final WEAs offshore 
Oregon cover approximately 195,000 acres, an 11 percent reduction from 
the draft WEAs. Before finalizing the WEAs, BOEM considered feedback 
from Tribes, government partners, ocean users, and stakeholders, and 
potential conflicts with commercial and recreational fishing, seafloor 
habitat, marine mammals, sea turtles, and the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) scientific survey locations.
    Proposed Action and Scope of Analysis: The EA's proposed action is 
issuing wind energy leases in the WEAs offshore Oregon. The EA will 
consider project easements and grants for subsea cable corridors 
associated with leasing. The EA also will consider the potential 
environmental impacts associated with site characterization surveys 
(biological, archeological, geological, and geophysical surveys and 
core samples) and site assessment activities (e.g., installation of 
meteorological buoys) that are expected to take place following 
leasing. The EA's proposed action does not include the installation of 
meteorological towers because buoys have become the preferred 
meteorological and oceanographic data collection platforms for 
developers. In addition to the no-action alternative, other 
alternatives may be considered, such as exclusion of certain areas.
    BOEM is preparing an EA for this proposed action to assist its 
planning and decision-making (40 CFR 1501.3). This notice starts the 
scoping process for the EA and solicits information regarding 
additional important environmental issues and alternatives that should 
be considered (43 CFR 46.305). Additionally, BOEM will use the scoping 
process to identify and eliminate from detailed analysis issues that 
are not significant or that have been analyzed by prior environmental 
reviews (40 CFR 1501.9(f)(1)).
    BOEM will use responses to this notice and the EA public input 
process to satisfy the public involvement requirements of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (36 CFR 800.2(d)(3)). Specific to 
NHPA, BOEM seeks information from the public on the identification and 
assessment of potential impacts to cultural resources and historic 
properties that might be impacted by possible wind energy-related 
leasing, site characterization, and site assessment activities in the 
WEAs.
    The EA analyses will also support compliance with other 
environmental statutes (e.g., Coastal Zone Management Act, Endangered 
Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 
and Marine Mammal Protection Act).
    Wind energy leases do not authorize any activities on the OCS. 
Instead, leases grant lessees the exclusive right to submit plans for 
BOEM approval. Prior to deciding whether to approve any construction 
and operation plan for commercial wind energy facilities, BOEM will 
prepare a plan-specific environmental analysis and will comply with all 
consultation requirements. Therefore, this EA will not consider the 
construction and operation of any commercial wind energy facilities in 
the WEAs.
    Cooperating Agencies: BOEM invites Tribal governments and Federal, 
State, and local government agencies to consider becoming cooperating 
agencies in the preparation of this EA. Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) define cooperating agencies as those with 
``jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any 
environmental impact involved in a proposal (or a reasonable 
alternative)'' (40 CFR 1508.1(e)). Potential cooperating agencies 
should consider their authority and capacity to assume the 
responsibilities of a cooperating agency. A cooperating agency's role 
in the environmental analysis neither enlarges nor diminishes the final 
decision-making authority of any other agency involved in the NEPA 
process.
    Upon request, BOEM will provide potential cooperating Tribal 
governments and agencies with a draft memorandum of agreement that 
includes a schedule with critical action dates and milestones, mutual 
responsibilities, designated points of contact, and expectations for 
handling pre-decisional information. Agencies should also consider the 
``Factors for Determining Whether to Invite, Decline or End Cooperating 
Agency Status'' in

[[Page 11314]]

CEQ's memo ``Cooperating Agencies in Implementing the Procedural 
Requirements of [NEPA]'' dated January 30, 2002.
    BOEM, as the lead agency, will not provide financial assistance to 
cooperating agencies. Even if an organization is not a cooperating 
agency, opportunities will exist to provide information and comments to 
BOEM during the normal public input phases of the NEPA process.
    Comments: Federal agencies; Tribal, State, and local governments; 
and other interested parties are requested to comment on the important 
issues to be considered in the EA. For information on how to submit 
comments and the submission deadline, see the DATES and ADDRESSES 
sections above.
    Privileged and Confidential Information: BOEM will protect 
privileged and confidential information in your comment under the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Exemption 4 of FOIA applies to trade 
secrets and commercial and 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 the information qualifies for a 
FOIA exemption. 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 such 
information or comments not containing such privileged or confidential 
information. Information that is not labeled as privileged or 
confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.
    Personally Identifiable Information (PII): BOEM encourages you to 
not submit anonymous comments. Please include your name with your 
comment. You should be aware that your entire comment, including your 
name and any other PII included in your comment, may be made publicly 
available. All submissions from identified individuals, businesses, and 
organizations will be available for public viewing on regulations.gov. 
Except for clearly identified privileged and confidential information, 
BOEM will make available for public inspection all comments, in their 
entirety, submitted by organizations and businesses, or by individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or 
businesses.
    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 submission is subject to FOIA, and if your 
submission is requested under FOIA, your information will only be 
withheld if a determination is made 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.
    Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 
307103(a)): After consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, BOEM 
is required to withhold the location, character, or ownership of 
historic resources if it determines that disclosure may, among other 
things, cause a significant invasion of privacy, risk harm to the 
historic resources, or impede the use of a traditional religious site 
by practitioners. Tribal entities and other parties providing 
information on historic resources should designate information that 
they wish to be held as confidential and provide the reasons why BOEM 
should do so.
    Authority: National Environmental Policy Act, 43 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.; 43 CFR 46.305.

Douglas P. Boren,
Pacific Regional Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-02985 Filed 2-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P