The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is holding public meetings and an auction seminar on New York’s offshore wind energy this month.
BOEM released an Environmental Assessment (EA) for commercial wind lease issuance, site characterization activities, and site assessment activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf offshore New York after US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and BOEM’s Director Abigail Ross Hopper announced the proposed lease sale for 81,130 acres off the state’s coast at the beginning of this month.
BOEM will hold five public meetings in June to provide an overview of the EA findings regarding potential site assessment (e.g., placement of meteorological and oceanographic survey equipment), and site characterization surveys (e.g., cultural and natural resource surveys), and offer additional opportunities for public comments.
In addition to the EA meetings, BOEM will host an auction seminar in New York City to describe the auction format, explain the auction rules and demonstrate the auction process through meaningful examples.
The seminar will be followed by a public meeting on BOEM’s planning and leasing efforts regarding New York offshore wind energy activities.