The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting the public to review and comment on a draft potential development of six wind lease areas offshore New York and New Jersey, in an area known as the New York Bight.
BOEM estimates that full development of leases in this area, totaling over 488,000 acres, has the potential to create up to 5.6 to 7 GWs of offshore wind energy. In February 2022, BOEM held an auction that brought in over $4.3 billion for the rights to six lease areas in the New York Bight.
This is the first time BOEM has conducted a regional analysis of offshore renewable energy development and operations over multiple lease areas. BOEM decided to take this additional step to complete a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) because of the close proximity of the six lease areas and the timing of when BOEM expects to receive future project plans for review.
The Draft PEIS analyzes programmatic avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and monitoring measures that BOEM may require as conditions of its approval for any proposed offshore wind projects in the New York Bight.
The “Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Expected Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight” will publish in the Federal Register on Jan. 12, 2024, which initiates a 45-day public comment period ending on Feb. 26, 2024. During the comment period, BOEM is seeking additional information on important resources and issues, potential impacts to the environment, and programmatic avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and monitoring measures found in the Draft PEIS.
