[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 63221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17035]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0033]


Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for US Wind Inc.'s Proposed Wind Energy Facility Offshore Maryland

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; final environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the 
availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on US 
Wind Inc.'s (US Wind) construction and operations plan (COP) for its 
proposed Maryland Offshore Wind Project (Project). 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, 
including the no action alternative. 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/maryland-offshore-wind.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorena Edenfield, BOEM Office of 
Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 
20166, (907) 231-7679 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: US Wind seeks approval to construct, operate, and 
maintain a wind energy facility and its associated export cables on the 
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Maryland. The Project would be 
developed within the range of design parameters outlined in the 
Maryland Offshore Wind COP, subject to the applicable mitigation 
measures.
    The Project as proposed in the COP would include up to 121 wind 
turbine generators (WTGs), up to four offshore substations with one 
offshore export cable route, and one meteorological tower under the 
terms of Renewable Energy Lease OCS-A 0490. The lease area is located 
ten miles off the coast of Maryland. The onshore components of the 
Project would include a cable landfall area at 3Rs beach in Delaware. 
From the landfall, onshore cables would continue along an inshore cable 
export route in Indian River Bay to connect to a single onshore 
substation adjacent to the point of interconnection in Dagsboro, 
Delaware.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 14 alternatives when preparing the 
draft environmental impact statement and carried forward five 
alternatives for further analysis. These five alternatives include four 
action alternatives and a no action alternative. Nine alternatives were 
not analyzed in detail 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 final EIS. The screening criteria 
included consistency with law and regulations, technical and economic 
feasibility, environmental impact, and geographic considerations.
    Availability of the FEIS: The FEIS, US Wind COP, and associated 
information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maryland-offshore-wind. BOEM has 
distributed digital copies of the FEIS to all parties listed in FEIS 
Appendix N. If you would like a flash drive or paper copy, BOEM will 
provide one upon request, as long as supplies are available. You may 
request a flash drive or paper copy of the FEIS by contacting Lorena 
Edenfield at (907) 231-7679 or [email protected].
    Cooperating Agencies: The following Federal agencies and State 
governmental entities participated as cooperating agencies under the 
National Environmental Policy Act in the preparation of the FEIS: 
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; National Park Service; and Delaware 
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
    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. 2024-17035 Filed 8-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P