A draft assessment of the potential impacts of offshore wind fields in the central-Atlantic region is up for public review.
The public comment period on the Bureau of Ocean Management’s draft environmental assessment will include two upcoming virtual public hearings. Written comments will be accepted through Feb. 12.
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The draft environmental assessment examines potential environmental impacts to geophysical, geological, and archaeological features within wind energy areas off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Easements and grants that would be associated with each proposed lease, including subsea cable corridors, are also considered in the assessment.
Proposed offshore wind lease sales in the Central Atlantic Wind Energy Areas, or WEAs, include WEA A-2 off the Delaware and Maryland coasts and WEA C-1, which lies off the coast of Virginia.
If offshore wind fields are built in these areas they have the potential to generate enough energy to power more than 2.2 million homes, according to BOEM.
“BOEM will continue to work closely with our government partners, key stakeholders, and the public as we consider proposed offshore wind activities in the Central Atlantic,” BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein stated in a release. “Our overarching goal is to ensure any development is done in a manner that avoids or reduces potential impacts to other ocean uses and the marine environment.”
The draft environmental assessment includes a third potential lease site offshore of Ocean City, Maryland, but that area is not currently included as a proposed sale site because it is being evaluated further for potential conflicts with other existing ocean uses, according to the release.
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Lease sales could occur in the region as early as next year.
BOEM’s draft assessment was published Jan. 12 in the Federal Register.
Anyone who would like to comment at one of the agency’s virtual public meetings must register.
Register for the Jan. 30 hearing, which begins at 5 p.m.
Register for the second hearing set for 1 p.m. Feb. 1.
To submit written comments, go to www.regulations.gov and search for BOEM-2024-0004.
After considering all public comments, BOEM will publish a final environmental assessment.
