BOEM starts scoping for enviro review of New York Bight wind leases

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Wednesday said it will undertake a regional environmental review of the six offshore wind lease areas in the New York Bight, which is the first time it is doing so for multiple areas.

The agency will publish a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) in the Federal Register on July 15, triggering a 30-day public comment “scoping” period to gather comments for the issues that should be considered as part of the PEIS.

The six New York Bight leases were awarded in an auction earlier in 2022

“This new regional approach is an evolution of our process to help ensure timely decisions that advance offshore wind while protecting the ocean environment and marine life,” said BOEM director Amanda Lefton.

The programmatic review will serve as a basis for individual environmental analyses for each project once the leaseholders file their construction and operations plans (COPs) with BOEM.

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