BOEM approves final environmental assessment for Gulf of Maine WEA

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein: “BOEM is actively assessing proposed offshore wind activities in the Gulf of Maine.”

Another U.S. offshore wind project is moving smoothly through the regulatory pipeline. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the availability of its final Environmental Assessment (EA) of the U.S. Gulf of Maine WEA (Wind Energy Area)

Back in April, the agency proposed an offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Maine, which would include eight potential leasing areas offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The eight areas total nearly one million acres and have the potential to generate approximately 15 GW of clean, renewable energy and power more than five million homes.

Maine has long been working on floating offshore wind technology and, in August, Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced that the state and BOEM had agreed on a floating offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine, a key milestone in the state’s efforts to advance floating offshore wind research and promote responsible offshore wind development.

The just released final EA evaluated the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. It considered the potential environmental impacts associated with activities such as conducting surveys and installing meteorological buoys, but not the installation of offshore turbines, which would be assessed in a separate environmental review if a leaseholder submits a project proposal. BOEM found that leasing and site assessment and characterization activities will not have a significant impact on the environment.

“BOEM is actively assessing proposed offshore wind activities in the Gulf of Maine by collaborating with tribes, state and federal agencies, ocean users, local communities, and other stakeholders,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We are committed to ensuring that future offshore wind development proceeds in a manner that reduces potential impacts on other ocean activities and the surrounding ecosystem.”