Gulf of Maine offshore wind: BOEM takes next step

Written by Nick Blenkey
Klein makes U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore wind lease sale announcement

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein: ““The completion of our environmental review is an important step forward to advance clean energy development in a responsible manner while promoting economic vitality and well-paying jobs in the Gulf of Mexico region.”

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced the publication of its Gulf of Maine Call for Information and Nominations. This call invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

This follows the agency’s August 2022 “Request for Interest” (RFI) to gauge whether commercial interest existed in obtaining wind energy leases within an area in the Gulf of Maine comprising about 13.7 million acres.

BOEM worked collaboratively with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) to conduct a spatial analysis of the RFI area. This analysis, in combination with public comments on the RFI, led to the creation of a draft Call Area. BOEM hosted a series of information exchanges on the draft Call Area from January-February 2023 to get feedback from tribes, states, existing ocean users, and the general public. The final Call Area, published today, reduces the RFI area to 9.8 million acres, a nearly 30% reduction.

In the final Gulf of Maine offshore windCall Area, BOEM removed approximately 160,000 acres from future consideration to avoid Georges Bank. The Call Area remains broad to provide flexibility to minimize conflicts with other uses. BOEM will use a powerful spatial analytical tool, called an ecosystem-wide suitability model, developed in partnership with NCCOS, to help identify where conflicts may exist and inform decisions regarding the most appropriate Wind Energy Areas to meet the states’ and the administration’s offshore renewable energy goals.

Through the information exchanges on the draft Call Area, BOEM has identified four areas on which it specifically seeks public input on during this next phase of review, including: Lobster Management Area I, Platts Bank, Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Restricted Areas, and Georges Bank (the immediately adjacent area along the southern boundary of the Call Area). This is not an exhaustive list; however, it represents the areas that were most commented on in the most recent public engagement. BOEM says it looks forward to receiving more information during the Call comment period regarding the suitability of these areas for potential renewable energy development.

“BOEM is committed to transparent, inclusive and data-driven processes, and public input is essential to helping us determine areas that may be suitable for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We are still early in the planning and leasing process, and we look forward to the multiple future opportunities for engagement.”

BOEM will publish the Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Gulf of Maine Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)—Call for Information and Nominations in the Federal Register on April 26, which will initiate a 45-day public comment period. BOEM will accept nominations and comments through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 12.

After the public comment period closes, BOEM will review and analyze commercial nominations and public comments submitted in response to the Call. BOEM will also consider information from government and tribal consultations and the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to further evaluate the appropriateness of the Call Area for offshore wind energy development.

“The feedback that we have received prior to this announcement has been extremely valuable in informing the process and understanding the unique dynamics that the Gulf of Maine presents,” said BOEM Project Coordinator Zach Jylkka. “The success of BOEM’s commercial leasing process hinges upon continued public input, and we are fortunate that many passionate and knowledgeable individuals and organizations are willing to share their experiences and expertise to help shape these important outcomes.”

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