[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52086-52087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13687]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0030]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for 
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance, Site Characterization Activities, and 
Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf in 
the Gulf of Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and 
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the 
availability of the draft environmental assessment (EA) for the 
potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases in the Gulf of 
Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The draft EA analyzes the potential 
environmental impacts of the site characterization and site assessment 
activities that are expected to take place if a commercial lease is 
issued. 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 about 
whether it will issue commercial wind energy leases.

DATES: BOEM must receive your comments no later than July 22, 2024. 
BOEM's virtual public meetings will be held on the following dates and 
times (Eastern Time) indicated:
     Monday July 8, 2024; 1:00 p.m.
     Wednesday July 10, 2024; 5:00 p.m.
    Registration for the virtual public meetings is required and may be 
completed at https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine. Meeting information will be sent to registrants via 
their email address provided during registration.

ADDRESSES: The draft EA and detailed information about proposed 
commercial leases can be found on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine. 
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 U.S. Postal Service or other delivery 
service: Send your comments and information to the following address: 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, 
45600 Woodland Road, Mail Stop VAM-OREP, Sterling, VA 20166.
     Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2024-0030. 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: Brandi Sangunett, BOEM, Environment 
Branch for Renewable Energy, 45600 Woodland Road, Mail Stop VAM-OREP, 
Sterling, VA 20166, (703) 787-1015 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: The draft EA analyzes the proposed action, which 
is the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases in the Gulf 
of Maine offshore the States of Maine and New Hampshire and the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the no action alternative. The EA 
will consider project easements and grants for subsea cable corridors 
associated with leasing. The EA will also consider the potential 
environmental impacts associated with site characterization activities 
(i.e., biological, archaeological, geological, and geophysical surveys 
and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of 
meteorological buoys) that are expected to take place following lease 
issuance. The EA's proposed action does not include the installation of 
meteorological towers because developers have expressed a preference 
for the use of meteorological buoys to collect data. In addition to the 
no-action alternative, other alternatives may be considered, such as 
exclusion of certain areas.
    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), as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 
Specific to the 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 final wind energy area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine 
that BOEM identified in a memorandum, dated March 13, 2024, which is 
available on BOEM's website https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine.
    BOEM will also use the analyses in the EA to support its 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 Outer 
Continental Shelf (OCS). Instead, leases grant lessees the exclusive 
right to submit plans for BOEM's consideration and approval. Prior to 
deciding whether to approve any plan for the construction and operation 
of 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 final WEA.
    BOEM has 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/maine/gulf-maine. 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 draft EA by contacting

[[Page 52087]]

Brandi Sangunett at (703) 787-1015 or [email protected].
    Cooperating Agencies: The following four 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 U.S. Coast Guard.

Information on Submitting Comments

a. Freedom of Information Act

    BOEM will protect privileged or confidential information that you 
submit when 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 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.

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. 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, 
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 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 Baker,
Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-13687 Filed 6-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P