US Feds foresee 'no significant impacts' after New York Bight environmental review
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completes assessment of project development in 800,000-acre wind energy area off Atlantic seaboard, clearing way for lease sales of up to 7GW in new capacity
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The assessment by BOEM, the agency in the Department of Interior tasked with managing development on the country’s outer continental shelf, paves the way for lease sales of up to 7GW of potential offshore wind energy in what promises to be the next boom region for the emerging industry.
“The completion of this environmental assessment is an important step forward in advancing the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of increasing renewable energy development on federal lands and waters,” said BOEM director Amanda Lefton.
“BOEM is focused on ensuring that any development in the New York Bight is done responsibly and in a way that avoids or minimises impacts to the ocean and other ocean users in the region.”
The New York Bight has long attracted offshore wind developers as a zone due to its relatively shallow 25-45 metre water depths, rich 8.5 metres per second wind speeds, and proximity to major electricity load centres.
The environmental assessment is limited in scope to only addressing the impacts of site characterisation and assessment, such as biological, archaeological, and geophysical surveys and core sampling and the installation of meteorological buoys.
It also considers the environmental consequences of project easements and right-of-way grants for subsea cable corridors leading from the area located 30 miles east of New Jersey and south of New York’s Long Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
“The completion of the environmental review of New York Bight offshore wind leasing… means that two coastal states with massive populations and large economies are a step closer to new energy and economic opportunities,” the National Ocean Industries Association said in a statement.
“Not only will a New York Bight offshore wind lease sale open a door to investment in New York and New Jersey… but will support jobs and businesses throughout the US.”
The schedule for sales in eight lease areas in the New York Bight has not been disclosed but is expected to happen in the first quarter of 2022.
Should a lease sale advance and before approving the construction and operations plan (COP) of any offshore wind energy project, a more rigorous environmental impact statement will be issued to analyse the specific environmental consequences, “in consultation with tribes and appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and with participation by stakeholders and the public”, said BOEM.
BOEM likewise opened 30 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico stretching from the border of Mexico to Louisiana to calls for information to assess commercial interest.