Abstract
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has prepared this environmental assessment (EA) to determine whether the issuance of a lease and grants within the Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the New York Bight (NY Bight) would lead to reasonably foreseeable significant impacts on the environment and, thus, whether an environmental impact statement should be prepared before a lease is issued.
On March 29, 2021, the BOEM released the Announcement of Area Identification (Area ID) (BOEM 2021a). The Area ID Memorandum documents the analysis and rationale used to develop the WEAs in the NY Bight.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to assess the physical characteristics of areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the NY Bight through the issuance of commercial and research leases within the WEAs and granting of rights-of-way (ROWs) and rights-of-use and easement (RUEs) in the region. BOEM’s issuance of these leases and grants is needed (a) to confer the exclusive right to submit plans to BOEM for potential development, such that the lessees and grantees will commit to site characterization and site assessment activities necessary to determine the suitability of their leases and grants for commercial offshore wind production and/or transmission and develop plans for BOEM’s review; and (b) to impose terms and conditions intended to ensure that site characterization and assessment activities are conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.