22130 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 20, 2011 / Notices 

be made prior to execution of the lease 

of power privilege, the lessee would be 

responsible for marketing the power 

generated by the project with priority 

given to preference entities as heretofore 

defined in Proposal Content Guidelines, 

item 1.). 

Notice and Time Period to Enter Into 

Lease of Power Privilege: Reclamation 

will notify, in writing, all entities 

submitting proposals of Reclamation’s 

decision regarding selection of the 

potential lessee. The selected potential 

lessee will have 2 years from the date 

of such notification to enter into a lease 

of power privilege for the site or sites 

identified in the proposal. Such leases 

of power privilege will state whether 

and how Western will be involved in 

purchasing and/or marketing the power. 

Any excessive delay resulting from 

compliance with the provisions of 

Federal environment laws or 

administrative review by a Federal 

agency, pertaining to the project, may 

extend the 2 year time period for a 

period equal to that of the delay. This 

period may only be extended by mutual, 

written consent of the potential lessee 

and the United States. 

Dated: April 14, 2011. 

Michael J. Ryan, 

Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9540 Filed 4–19–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of the Secretary 

Wildland Fire Executive Council 

Meeting Schedule 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Meetings. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

requirements of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, the 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Office 

of the Secretary, Wildland Fire 

Executive Council (WFEC) will meet as 

indicated below. 

DATES: The next meeting will be held on 

Friday May 6, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 12 

noon. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held 

from 10 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern Time 

in the McArdle Room (First Floor 

Conference Room) in the Yates Federal 

Building, USDA Forest Service 

Headquarters, 1400 Independence Ave., 

SW., Washington, DC 20250. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy 

Johnson, Designated Federal Officer, 

300 E Mallard Drive, Suite 170, Boise, 

Idaho 83706; telephone (208) 334–1550; 

fax (208) 334–1549; or e-mail 

Roy_Johnson@ios.doi.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The WFEC 

is established as a discretionary 

advisory committee under the 

authorities of the Secretary of the 

Interior and Secretary of Agriculture, in 

furtherance of 43 U.S.C. 1457 and 

provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Act 

of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a–742j), the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the 

National Wildlife Refuge System 

improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 

668dd–668ee), and the National Forest 

Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 

1600 et seq.) and in accordance with the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 

App. 2. The Secretary of the Interior and 

Secretary of Agriculture certify that the 

formation of the WFEC is necessary and 

is in the public interest. 

The purpose of the WFEC is to 

provide advice on coordinated nationallevel wildland fire policy and to provide 

leadership, direction, and program 

oversight in support of the Wildland 

Fire Leadership Council. Questions 

related to the WFEC should be directed 

to Roy Johnson (Designated Federal 

Officer) at Roy_Johnson@ios.doi.gov or 

(208) 334–1550 or 300 E. Mallard Drive, 

Suite 170, Boise, Idaho 83706–6648. 

Meeting Agenda: The meeting agenda 

will be: (1) Welcome and introduction 

of Council members; (2) Overview of 

prior meeting and action tracking; (3) 

Members’ round robin to share 

information and identify key issues to 

be addressed; (4) Wildland Fire 

Management Cohesive Strategy; (5) 

Wildland Fire Issues; (6) Council 

Members’ review and discussion of subcommittee activities; (7) Future Council 

activities; and (8) Public comments and 

closing remarks. Participation is open to 

the public. 

Public Input: All WFEC meetings are 

open to the public. Members of the 

public who wish to participate must 

notify Shari Shetler at 

Shari_Shetler@ios.doi.gov no later than 

the third Friday of the month preceding 

the meeting. Those who are not 

committee members and wish to present 

oral statements or obtain information 

should contact Shari Shetler via e-mail 

no later than the third Friday preceding 

the meeting. Depending on the number 

of persons wishing to comment and 

time available, the time for individual 

oral comments may be limited. 

Questions about the agenda or written 

comments may be e-mailed or submitted 

by U.S. Mail to: Department of the 

Interior, Office of the Secretary, Office 

of Wildland Fire, Attention: Shari 

Shetler, 300 E. Mallard Drive, Suite 170, 

Boise, Idaho 83706–6648. WFEC 

requests that written comments be 

received by the third Friday of the 

month preceeding the scheduled 

meeting. Attendance is open to the 

public, but limited space is available. 

Persons with a disability requiring 

special services, such as an interpreter 

for the hearing impaired, should contact 

Ms. Shetler at (202) 527–0133 at least 

seven calendar days prior to the 

meeting. 

Dated: April 15, 2011. 

Roy Johnson, 

Designated Federal Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9632 Filed 4–19–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–J4–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement 

[Docket No. BOEM–2011–0005] 

Commercial Leasing for Wind Power 

on the Outer Continental Shelf 

Offshore New Jersey—Call for 

Information and Nominations 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. 

ACTION: Call for Information and 

Nominations for Commercial Leasing for 

Wind Power on the Outer Continental 

Shelf Offshore New Jersey. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE) invites the 

submission of nominations for one or 

more commercial leases for the 

construction of a wind energy project(s) 

on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

offshore New Jersey. Although this 

announcement is not itself a leasing 

announcement, the area described 

herein may be subject to future leasing, 

and BOEMRE will use the response to 

this Call for Information and 

Nominations (Call) to gauge specific 

interest in acquiring commercial wind 

lease(s) in some or all of the area, and 

to determine whether competitive 

interest exists in any particular area as 

required by 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3). Parties 

wishing to submit a nomination in 

response to this Call should submit 

detailed and specific information as 

described below in the section entitled, 

‘‘Required Nomination Information.’’ 

This announcement also requests that 

interested and affected parties comment 

and provide information about site 

conditions, resources, and multiple uses 

within the area identified in this notice 


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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 20, 2011 / Notices 22131 

that would be relevant to BOEMRE’s 

review of the nominations submitted 

and subsequent decision to offer all or 

part of the area for commercial wind 

leasing. The information that BOEMRE 

is requesting is described below in the 

section entitled, ‘‘Requested Information 

from Interested or Affected Parties.’’ 

This notice is published pursuant to 

subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, 

which was added by section 388 of the 

Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) (43 

U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)), and the 

implementing regulations at 30 CFR Part 

285. 

The area under consideration for 

commercial leasing is located off the 

coast of New Jersey, beginning 

approximately 7 nautical miles (nmi) 

from the shore, extending roughly 23 

nmi seaward to the approximate 100 ft 

depth contour, and extending 45 nmi 

parallel to the Federal/State boundary 

between Avalon and Barnegat Light. 

This area is approximately 418 square 

nmi and contains approximately 43 

whole OCS blocks and 34 partial OCS 

blocks. This area was delineated in 

consultation with the BOEMRE/New 

Jersey Renewable Energy Task Force 

and has been identified as a Wind 

Energy Area (WEA) as referenced and 

described in the Secretary’s 

announcement of the Department’s 

‘‘Smart from the Start’’ offshore wind 

energy initiative. A detailed description 

of the area and its development is found 

later in this notice. 

DATES: BOEMRE must receive your 

nomination describing your interest in 

this potential commercial leasing area 

no later than June 6, 2011 for your 

nomination to be considered. BOEMRE 

requests comments or other submissions 

of information by this same date. 

BOEMRE will consider only the 

nominations we receive by that time. 

Submission Procedures: You may 

submit your nominations, comments, 

and information by one of two methods: 

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

http://www.regulations.gov. In the entry 

titled ‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter 

BOEM–2011–0005, then click ‘‘search.’’ 

Follow the instructions to submit public 

comments and view supporting and 

related materials available for this 

notice. BOEMRE will post all comments 

which are not labeled ‘‘Contains 

Confidential Information.’’ 

2. By mail, sending your nominations, 

comments, and information to the 

following address: Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement, Office of Offshore 

Alternative Energy Programs, 381 Elden 

Street, Mail Stop 4090, Herndon, 

Virginia 20170. Nominations submitted 

by mail must be postmarked by June 6, 

2011 to be considered by BOEMRE for 

the purposes of determining competitive 

interest. All responses will be reported 

on regulations.gov. 

If you wish to protect the 

confidentiality of your nominations or 

comments, clearly mark the relevant 

sections and request that BOEMRE treat 

them as confidential. Please label 

privileged or confidential information 

‘‘Contains Confidential Information’’ and 

consider submitting such information as 

a separate attachment. Treatment of 

confidential information is addressed in 

the section of this Call entitled, 

‘‘Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information.’’ Information that is not 

labeled as privileged or confidential will 

be regarded by BOEMRE as suitable for 

public release. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William Waskes, Project Coordinator, 

BOEMRE, Office of Offshore Alternative 

Energy Programs, 381 Elden Street, Mail 

Stop 4090, Herndon, Virginia 20170, 

(703) 787–1300. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of the Call for Information and 

Nominations 

The OCS Lands Act requires BOEMRE 

to award leases competitively, unless 

BOEMRE makes a determination that 

there is no competitive interest (43 

U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)). The issuance of this 

notice is not intended to indicate that 

BOEMRE has determined that 

competitive interest exists in the area 

identified. Rather, this notice is the first 

step in the renewable energy leasing 

process offshore New Jersey and the 

responses to it will assist BOEMRE in 

determining if there is no competitive 

interest in the area identified. This 

notice also requests information from 

interested and affected parties on issues 

relevant to BOEMRE’s review of 

nominations for potential leasing in the 

area identified. 

BOEMRE is issuing a Call instead of 

a Request for Interest (RFI) to facilitate 

and expedite the leasing process in 

keeping with the goals and objectives of 

the Secretary of the Interior’s ‘‘Smart 

from the Start’’ initiative. If an RFI were 

issued and the responses to it indicated 

competitive interest, the applicable 

regulations would require BOEMRE to 

issue a Call, which BOEMRE believes 

would be duplicative of the RFI process 

and, therefore, unnecessary and 

inefficient. Issuance of this Call, without 

an RFI, is designed to enable BOEMRE 

to analyze information needed to 

support appropriate commercial leasing, 

while ensuring ample opportunity for 

input from interested and affected 

parties. 

The responses to this Call could lead 

to the initiation of a competitive process 

in some areas (i.e., where competition 

exists for certain tracts), and a 

noncompetitive process in others 

(where no competitive interest exists in 

certain tracts). The leasing process is 

described more completely under 

‘‘Competitive Leasing Process’’ and 

‘‘Noncompetitive Leasing Process,’’ 

below. If BOEMRE determines that there 

is no competitive interest in some or all 

of this area offshore New Jersey, 

BOEMRE may proceed with the 

noncompetitive lease process pursuant 

to 30 CFR 285.232 of the Renewable 

Energy and Alternate Uses (REAU) of 

Existing Facilities on the OCS Final 

Rule for any area(s) where no 

competitive interest exists. If BOEMRE 

determines that there is competitive 

interest in some or all of this area 

offshore New Jersey, BOEMRE may 

proceed with Area Identification, as set 

forth in 30 CFR 285.211(b), and the 

competitive leasing process set forth 

under 30 CFR 285.211 through 285.225. 

Whether the leasing process would be 

competitive or noncompetitive, it would 

(1) include additional opportunities for 

the public to provide input; (2) be 

reviewed thoroughly for potential 

environmental and multiple use 

impacts; and (3) and be conducted in 

conformance with all applicable laws 

and regulations. The area that may be 

offered for lease, if any, has not been 

determined and may be reduced from 

the area identified in this Call. 

Background 

Energy Policy Act of 2005 

The EPAct amended the OCS Lands 

Act by adding subsection 8(p)(1)(c), 

which authorizes the Secretary of the 

Interior to grant leases, easements, or 

rights-of-way (ROWs) on the OCS for 

activities that are not otherwise 

authorized by law and that produce or 

support production, transportation, or 

transmission of energy from sources 

other than oil or gas. The EPAct also 

required the issuance of regulations to 

carry out the new authority pertaining 

to renewable energy on the OCS. The 

Secretary delegated this authority to 

issue leases, easements, and ROWs, and 

to promulgate regulations to the Director 

of BOEMRE. On April 29, 2009, 

BOEMRE promulgated the REAU rule, 

which can be found at: http://

www.boemre.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/PDF/

FinalRenewableEnergyRule.pdf. 


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Interim Policy 

After the passage of EPAct, BOEMRE 

moved forward with allowing limited 

activities related to the development of 

renewable energy projects on the OCS 

while finalizing the REAU rulemaking. 

BOEMRE created and published an 

Interim Policy (IP) to allow the issuance 

of leases to assess the renewable energy 

resource potential on the OCS and 

evaluate new technology. The IP 

governed the issuance of leases for the 

installation of offshore data collection 

and technology testing facilities on the 

OCS until the promulgation of the 

REAU rule. Leases issued under the IP 

have terms of five years and do not 

permit the testing of wind turbine 

generators. 

The IP lease issuance process began 

on November 6, 2007, when BOEMRE 

published in the Federal Register a 

Request for Information and 

Nominations for IP leases. 

Subsequently, BOEMRE published a 

listing of the locations described in the 

responses to the Request for Information 

and Nominations in the Federal 

Register in order to determine if there 

was competitive interest in the 

proposed IP lease areas. After 

considering responses received to the 

second Federal Register notice, 

BOEMRE determined that there was no 

competitive interest in any of the 

proposed IP lease areas and decided to 

proceed with the noncompetitive 

leasing process for the IP leases. Six 

areas on the OCS ranging from 8 to 21 

nmi offshore of the coast of New Jersey 

were nominated by three developers. 

BOEMRE received applications for the 

construction of meteorological towers 

and other site assessment activities on 

the OCS for four of the six proposed 

lease areas from Deepwater Wind LLC (2 

lease areas), Bluewater Wind New Jersey 

Energy LLC and Fishermen’s Energy of 

New Jersey (FERN). After a thorough 

environmental review, BOEMRE offered 

four leases in June 2009 and executed 

three IP leases offshore New Jersey, one 

to each of the three developers listed 

above, in November 2009. The specific 

locations of these IP leases are provided 

under the section entitled, ‘‘Existing 

Interim Policy Leases Offshore New 

Jersey.’’ The installation of 

meteorological towers or meteorological 

buoys is anticipated to begin in mid2011. 

Executive Order 13547: Stewardship of 

the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great 

Lakes 

On July 19, 2010, the President signed 

Executive Order 13547 establishing a 

national ocean policy and the National 

Ocean Council (75 FR 43023). The 

Order establishes a comprehensive, 

integrated national policy for the 

stewardship of the ocean, our coasts and 

the Great Lakes. Where BOEMRE 

actions affect the ocean, the Order 

requires BOEMRE to take such action as 

necessary to implement this policy, the 

stewardship principles and national 

priority objectives adopted by the Order, 

and guidance from the National Ocean 

Council. 

BOEMRE appreciates the importance 

of coordinating its planning endeavors 

with other OCS users and regulators and 

intends to follow principles of coastal 

and marine spatial planning, and 

coordinate with the regional planning 

bodies as established by the National 

Ocean Council to inform its leasing 

processes. BOEMRE anticipates that 

continued coordination with the State 

Renewable Energy Task Forces will help 

inform comprehensive coastal and 

marine spatial planning efforts. 

Actions Taken by the State of New 

Jersey in Support of Renewable Energy 

Development 

BOEMRE recognizes the importance 

of the steps that the state of New Jersey 

has taken to encourage and incentivize 

offshore wind energy development. 

While a state may promote such 

development through activities such as 

the creation of financial incentives, it is 

important to note that an offshore wind 

project cannot be sited on the OCS 

without an OCS renewable energy lease 

issued by BOEMRE pursuant to 30 CFR 

part 285, as described in this Call. 

Below is a description of the activities 

that the state has undertaken to support 

renewable energy development off its 

coast. 

In April 2006, the New Jersey Blue 

Ribbon Panel (BRP) on the Development 

of Wind Turbine Facilities in Coastal 

Waters issued a final report to the 

Governor. The BRP considered the need 

for offshore wind turbines to supply 

renewable energy to state consumers, 

and compared the potential from 

offshore wind power to other electric 

power sources, including fossil, nuclear 

and renewable fuels, as part of the 

state’s long-term electricity needs. 

Recommendation (5) of the panel called 

for the New Jersey Board of Public 

Utilities (BPU) to proceed with a limited 

test project, not to exceed 350 

megawatts (MW), to obtain practical 

knowledge of benefits and impacts 

resulting from offshore wind turbine 

facilities. The New Jersey BPU issued a 

request for proposals for the 

development of a 350 MW capacity 

wind power project on the OCS, and 

solicited interest in obtaining financial 

grants of up to $19 million from the 

state to support the financing of offshore 

wind power projects. Five proposals 

were submitted. In October 2008, the 

State of New Jersey selected Garden 

State Offshore Energy LLC (GSOE), a 

joint venture of Deepwater Wind LLC 

and Public Service Enterprise Group 

(PSEG), as the winner of the grant funds 

solicitation. However, to date, no 

contract for transferring the grant funds 

has been executed based on the 

solicitation. Rather, to encourage 

development necessary to achieve the 

Offshore Wind (OSW) goals in the State 

of New Jersey’s 2008 Energy Master Plan 

(EMP), the BPU reexamined the 

approach described above and instead 

designed a rebate program that could 

reimburse OSW developers for the costs 

associated with constructing 

meteorological towers on the OCS 

offshore New Jersey. This rebate 

program would provide financial 

incentives for multiple simultaneous 

projects on the OCS offshore New 

Jersey. The BPU authorized this rebate 

program on November 26, 2008. On 

January 8, 2009, the BPU issued an 

Order approving three rebate 

applications for offshore wind 

meteorological towers submitted by 

Bluewater Wind, GSOE, and FERN, 

which will allow these developers to 

recover costs associated with 

constructing meteorological towers on 

the OCS offshore New Jersey. On August 

18, 2010, two of the rebate applications 

were modified by the BPU to grant 

rebates for the cost associated with 

construction of meteorological buoys 

instead of meteorological towers. 

The BRP also advised through 

recommendation (6) that the test project 

needed ‘‘* * * to be preceded by 

scientific baseline studies that collect 

basic data about the existence, location 

and nature of New Jersey’s offshore 

natural resources * * *’’ Accordingly, 

recommendation (4) of the BRP called 

for the State to conduct baseline studies 

of New Jersey’s coastal waters to, in 

part, develop spatial and temporal 

information regarding ocean uses and 

living natural resources and assess 

tourism and related economic sectors. 

To comply with the BRP’s 

recommendations, the New Jersey 

Department of Environmental Protection 

(NJDEP) released a Solicitation for 

Research Proposals for Ocean/Wind 

Power Ecological Baseline Studies 

(OWPEBS). To meet the project goal, 

baseline data were collected on birds, 

sea turtles, and marine mammals during 

an 18-month period and later expanded 

to a 24-month period to fill major data 

gaps identified for each group. The final 

OWPEBS was published in July 2010 


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and is available at: http://www.nj.gov/

dep/dsr/ocean-wind/report.htm. 

On August 18, 2010, Governor 

Christie signed the Offshore Wind 

Economic Development Act (Approved 

P.L.2010, c.57), which directs the BPU 

to establish an offshore wind renewable 

energy certificate (OREC) program. The 

OREC program requires that each 

electric power supplier and each basic 

generation service provider acquire a 

percentage of the kilowatt hours sold in 

New Jersey from offshore wind energy, 

such that at least 1,100 megawatts of 

generation from offshore wind projects 

will be supplied to state consumers. An 

entity seeking to construct an offshore 

wind project may submit an application 

to the Board for approval as a qualified 

offshore wind project eligible to earn 

ORECs. Financial assistance and tax 

credits, through the New Jersey 

Economic Development Authority 

(EDA), are also made available by the 

Act for businesses that construct 

manufacturing, assemblage, and water 

access facilities to support the 

development of qualified offshore wind 

projects in designated ‘‘wind energy 

zones.’’ (Reprint of Pub. L. 2010, c.57 

available online at: http://

www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/PL10/ 

57_.PDF). 

The ability of private developers to 

take advantage of these state incentives 

for potential projects on the OCS 

offshore New Jersey would be 

dependent on the developers obtaining 

leases and subsequent approvals from 

BOEMRE for their proposed projects on 

the OCS. 

BOEMRE/New Jersey Renewable Energy 

Task Force 

BOEMRE formed the BOEMRE/New 

Jersey Renewable Energy Task Force for 

coordination among affected Federal 

agencies and state, local, and tribal 

governments throughout the leasing 

process. The BOEMRE/New Jersey 

Renewable Energy Task Force meeting 

materials are available on the BOEMRE 

Web site at: http://www.boemre.gov/

offshore/RenewableEnergy/

stateactivities.htm#NewJersey. 

Secretary Salazar’s ‘‘Smart From the 

Start’’ Atlantic Wind Initiative 

Secretary Ken Salazar announced the 

‘‘Smart from the Start’’ OCS renewable 

energy initiative on November 23, 2010. 

The area delineated in this notice has 

been identified as a Wind Energy Area 

(WEA) as defined in BOEMRE’s Notice 

of Intent to Prepare an Environmental 

Assessment for Mid-Atlantic Wind 

Energy Areas, 76 FR 7226 (February 9, 

2011), and described in the Secretary’s 

announcement. Relevant materials are 

available on the BOEMRE Web site at: 

http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/

SmartFromTheStart.htm. 

A WEA is an OCS area that appears 

to be suitable for the consideration of 

wind energy development. The New 

Jersey WEA was delineated based on 

deliberation and consultation with the 

BOEMRE/New Jersey Renewable Energy 

Task Force and identified to be 

evaluated in a regional environmental 

assessment (EA). This regional EA will 

evaluate the environmental 

consequences associated with lease 

issuance and site assessment and site 

characterization activities in this WEA 

as well as WEAs offshore Delaware, 

Maryland, and Virginia. The borders of 

the New Jersey WEA may be adjusted in 

response to comments and information 

received during the Call comment 

period and the regional EA comment 

period. In addition, it may become 

appropriate to analyze one or more of 

the WEAs identified in the regional EA, 

including the WEA offshore New Jersey, 

in separate EAs. 

BOEMRE will conduct several 

interagency consultations concurrently 

with the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) process associated with the 

‘‘Smart from the Start’’ initiative. These 

consultations include, but are not 

limited to, those required by the Coastal 

Zone Management Act (CZMA), 

Endangered Species Act (ESA), 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA), Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), and Executive Order 13175— 

‘‘Consultation and Coordination with 

Tribal Governments.’’ These 

consultations would take place before 

the issuance of any leases. 

If the regional EA finds that issuing 

leases in these areas and approving 

subsequent site assessment activities on 

these leases would constitute a major 

Federal action significantly affecting the 

quality of the human environment (42 

U.S.C. 4332(c)), then BOEMRE would 

begin the process of preparing an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) to 

analyze the effects of lease issuance and 

site characterization and site assessment 

activities in those areas. If BOEMRE 

determines during the regional EA 

process that issuing leases and 

conducting site characterization and 

assessment activities in these WEAs 

would not result in significant 

environmental impacts, then BOEMRE 

would issue a Finding of No Significant 

Impact (FONSI). After either a FONSI is 

issued or the EIS process is completed, 

BOEMRE may issue one or more 

renewable energy leases in the WEAs in 

accordance with its determination of 

competitive interest, described in the 

following section of this Call. In the 

event that a particular lease is issued, 

and the lessee submits a Site 

Assessment Plan (SAP), BOEMRE will 

determine whether the regional EA 

adequately considers the environmental 

consequences of the activities proposed 

in the lessee’s SAP. If the analysis in the 

regional EA adequately addresses these 

consequences, then no further NEPA 

would be required before the SAP is 

approved. If that analysis is inadequate, 

an additional NEPA analysis would be 

prepared before the SAP could be 

approved. 

If and when a lessee is ready to 

propose construction and operations of 

a specific renewable energy facility, it 

would submit a Construction and 

Operation Plan (COP). If a COP is 

submitted for a particular leasehold, a 

separate NEPA analysis would be 

prepared analyzing the environmental 

consequences of the specific project 

proposed. This would likely take the 

form of an EIS and will provide 

additional opportunities for public 

involvement. Pursuant to 30 CFR Part 

285, a lessee may only submit a COP 

once it has gathered the necessary 

information through site 

characterization and site assessment 

activities. Such an EIS process would 

provide Federal officials and the public 

with comprehensive site- and projectspecific information regarding potential 

environmental impacts of the project 

that the lessee is proposing. These 

potential impacts would be taken into 

account when deciding whether to 

approve, approve with modification, or 

disapprove the construction and 

operation of a commercial wind facility. 

Determination of Competitive Interest 

The first step in determining whether 

there is no competitive interest in an 

area on the OCS for wind energy 

projects offshore New Jersey will be the 

evaluation of submissions describing 

nominations for particular areas of 

interest as suitable for commercial wind 

projects in response to this notice. At 

the conclusion of the comment period 

for this Call, BOEMRE will review the 

information received, undertake a 

completeness review and qualifications 

review of the nominations received, and 

make a determination as to whether 

competitive interest exists. BOEMRE 

will first determine whether there is any 

geographic overlap of the areas of 

interest. 

If two areas of interest fully or 

partially overlap, BOEMRE will 

continue to proceed with the 

competitive lease process as described 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
22134 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 20, 2011 / Notices 

below. BOEMRE may consult with the 

BOEMRE/New Jersey Task Force 

throughout this process. 

Situations may arise in which several 

parties nominate project areas that do 

not overlap. Under these circumstances, 

BOEMRE could choose to employ an 

allocation system of leases that involves 

the creation of competition across tracts. 

This system is referred to as intertract 

competition and will also be 

implemented under the competitive 

process outlined in the REAU rule. 

BOEMRE may consult with the 

BOEMRE/New Jersey Task Force in 

determining intertract competition. 

Competitive Leasing Process 

Following are the steps in the 

competitive process that would follow 

this Call, as described in 30 CFR 

285.211 through 285.225: 

(1) Area Identification: BOEMRE 

would identify areas for environmental 

analysis and consideration for leasing in 

discussion with appropriate Federal 

agencies, states, local governments, 

tribes and other interested parties based 

on the information submitted in 

response to this notice and the Notice of 

Intent to Prepare an Environmental 

Assessment for Mid-Atlantic Wind 

Energy Areas, described above. 

(2) Proposed Sale Notice: BOEMRE 

would then publish the Proposed Sale 

Notice (PSN) in the Federal Register 

and send the PSN to any affected tribes, 

the State Historic Preservation Office, 

the Governor of any affected state and 

the executive of any local government 

that might be affected. The PSN would 

describe the areas offered for leasing 

and the proposed terms and conditions 

of a lease sale, including the proposed 

auction format, lease form and lease 

provisions. Additionally, the PSN 

would describe the criteria and process 

for evaluating bids. The PSN would be 

issued after completion of the final 

NEPA documentation, preparation of 

the Consistency Determination as 

required by the CZMA and its 

implementing regulations, and 

preparation of various analyses of 

proposed lease sale economic terms and 

conditions. The comment period 

following issuance of a PSN would be 

60 days. 

(3) Final Sale Notice: BOEMRE would 

then publish the Final Sale Notice (FSN) 

in the Federal Register at least 30 days 

before the date of the sale. Should 

BOEMRE proceed with a competitive 

auction to award leases, BOEMRE 

would use one of the following four 

auction formats to select the winner as 

described at 30 CFR 285.220: multiplefactor bidding; sealed bidding; 

ascending bidding; or two-stage bidding 

(a combination of ascending bidding 

and sealed bidding). BOEMRE would 

publish the criteria for winning bid 

determinations in the FSN. 

(4) Bid Submission and Evaluation: 

Following publication of the FSN in the 

Federal Register, qualified bidders 

would be able to submit their bids to 

BOEMRE in accordance with 

procedures specified for the auction 

format to be used. The bids, including 

the bid deposits if applicable, would be 

checked for technical and legal 

adequacy. BOEMRE would evaluate the 

bids to determine if the bidder has 

complied with all applicable 

regulations. BOEMRE reserves the right 

to reject any or all bids and the right to 

withdraw an offer to lease an area from 

the sale. 

As stated above, BOEMRE may 

consider using the multiple-factor 

auction format in addition to the three 

other auction formats described at 30 

CFR 285.220. If BOEMRE were to use a 

multiple-factor auction format, the 

evaluation of bids would be made by a 

panel composed of members selected by 

BOEMRE, and factors that BOEMRE 

may choose to include in the auction 

could be selected from a wide array of 

options. Factors that BOEMRE may 

consider for inclusion in this auction 

process are: Demonstration of prior 

diligence in the proposed Call area and 

in working with the state; lease 

revenues; technical merit; project 

experience; credit and security; power 

purchase arrangements; timeliness; 

financing and economics; 

environmental considerations; public 

benefits; and compatibility with state 

and local needs. Other factors based on 

the New Jersey Offshore Wind 

Economic Development Act may also 

receive consideration by BOEMRE. 

These factors would be identified in the 

FSN. 

If BOEMRE were to use a multiplefactor auction format, it is possible that 

a negotiation stage may be included in 

the bid assessment criteria, to be used 

if it becomes necessary to modify a 

proposal prior to acceptance. BOEMRE 

would coordinate with the State of New 

Jersey and other stakeholders, as 

appropriate, to establish procedures 

designed to assure the selection of the 

most worthy proposal that would 

provide a fair return to the United States 

pursuant to subsection 8(p) of the OCS 

Lands Act, as amended by Section 388 

of the EPAct (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)). 

(5) Issuance of a Lease: Following the 

selection of a winning bid by BOEMRE, 

the submitter would be notified of the 

decision and provided a set of official 

lease forms for execution. The 

successful bidder would be required to 

execute the lease, pay the remainder of 

the bonus bid, if applicable, and file the 

required financial assurance within 10 

days of receiving the lease copies. Upon 

receipt of the required payments, 

financial assurance, and properly 

executed lease forms, BOEMRE would 

issue a lease to the successful bidder. 

Noncompetitive Leasing Process 

If, after evaluating the responses to 

this notice, BOEMRE determines that 

there is no competitive interest in a 

proposed lease area, it may proceed 

with the noncompetitive lease issuance 

process pursuant to 30 CFR 285.232, 

consulting with the BOEMRE/New 

Jersey Task Force, as appropriate. 

BOEMRE would ask if the respondent 

wants to proceed with acquiring the 

lease, and if so, the respondent must 

submit an acquisition fee as specified 

within 30 CFR 285.502(a). After 

receiving the acquisition fee, BOEMRE 

would follow the process outlined in 30 

CFR 285.231(b) through (i), which 

would entail publication of a Notice of 

Proposed Lease Area and Request for 

Competitive Interest (RFCI) for the 

proposed area considered for 

noncompetitive leasing. If the RFCI 

results in no indications of competitive 

interest, BOEMRE would publish a 

notice in the Federal Register 

announcing a determination of no 

competitive interest. Within 60 days of 

the date of that notice, the respondent 

would be required to submit a Site 

Assessment Plan (SAP), as described in 

30 CFR 285.231(d)(2)(i). 

BOEMRE will comply with the 

requirements of NEPA, CZMA, ESA, 

NHPA, MMPA, and other applicable 

Federal statutes when in the process of 

issuing a lease noncompetitively. 

BOEMRE would coordinate and consult, 

as appropriate, with relevant Federal 

agencies, affected tribes, and affected 

state and local governments, in issuing 

a noncompetitive lease and developing 

lease terms and conditions. 

It is possible that responses to this 

notice may result in a determination 

that there is competitive interest for 

some areas but not for others. BOEMRE 

will announce publicly its 

determinations before proceeding with a 

competitive process, a noncompetitive 

process, or both. 

Description of the Area 

The Call area offshore New Jersey 

contains 43 whole OCS blocks and 34 

partial blocks. The boundary begins 7 

nmi from the shore and extends roughly 

23 nmi seaward. It extends from 

southwest to northeast approximately 

45 nmi between Avalon and Barnegat 


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Light. The entire area is approximately 

418 square nautical miles. 

The following 43 full OCS blocks are 

included within the Call area: 

Wilmington NJ18–02 Blocks 6439, 6488, 

6489, 6539, 6588, 6637, 6638, 6687, 

6688, 6689, 6736, 6737, 6738, 6739, 

6740, 6786, 6787, 6788, 6789, 6836, 

6837, 6838, 6886, 6887, 6933, 6934, 

6935, 6936, 6983, 6984, 6985, 7032, 

7033, 7034, 7080, 7081, 7082, 7083, 

7131, 7132; Salisbury NJ18–05 Blocks 

6031, 6032, and 6081. In addition, parts 

of the following 34 OCS blocks are 

included within the area of interest: 

Wilmington NJ18–02 Blocks 6389, 6438, 

6589, 6636, 6639, 6735, 6784, 6785, 

6790, 6833, 6834, 6835, 6839, 6840, 

6883, 6884, 6885, 6888, 6889, 6931, 

6932, 6937, 6938, 6982, 6986, 6987, 

7030, 7031, 7035, 7036, 7084, 7085, 

7133, and 7134 as described in the table 

below. 

LIST OF PARTIAL OCS BLOCKS IN THE CALL AREA

Protraction name Protraction No. Block No. Sub block 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6389 C, D, G, H, K, L, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6438 D, G, H, K, L, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6589 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6636 C, D, G, H 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6639 A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6735 C, D, G, H, K, L, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6784 K, L, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6785 C, D, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, 

O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6790 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, M, N 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6833 C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, 

N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6834 C, D, I, M, N 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6835 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, 

L, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6839 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, M, N 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6840 A 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6883 A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6884 A, B, E, F, G, I, J, K, L, M, 

N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6885 C, D, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, 

O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6888 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, M, N, O 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6889 A 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6931 H, K, L, N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6932 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6937 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6938 A, B, E 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6982 I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6986 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 6987 A, B, E 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7030 B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, 

L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7031 I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7035 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7036 A, B, E 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7084 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7085 A, B, E 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7133 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington ................................................................................... NJ18–02 ................................... 7134 A, B, E 

Map of the Call Area 

A map of the area and a table of the 

Call boundary coordinates in X, Y 

(eastings, northings) UTM Zone 18, 

NAD83 Datum and geographic X, Y 

(longitude, latitude), NAD83 Datum can 

be found at the following URL: http:// 

www.boemre.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/

stateactivities.htm#New Jersey. A large 

scale map of the Call area showing 

boundaries of the area with numbered 

blocks is available from BOEMRE at the 

following address: Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement, Office of Offshore 

Alternative Energy Programs, 381 Elden 

Street, Mail Stop 4090, Herndon, 

Virginia 20170, Phone: (703) 787–1300, 

Fax: (703) 787–1708. 

Development of the Call Area 

The Call area was delineated through 

consultation with the BOEMRE/New 

Jersey Renewable Energy Task Force 

and is intended to provide for the 

protection of ecologically sensitive areas 


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and minimize user conflicts while 

making an appropriate area available for 

commercial offshore wind development. 

Specific mitigation, stipulations, or 

exclusion areas may be developed as a 

result of environmental reviews and 

associated consultations, as well as 

continued coordination through the 

BOEMRE/New Jersey Renewable Energy 

Task Force, and applied at the leasing 

and/or at the construction and 

operations stages. Issues raised through 

consultation with the BOEMRE/New 

Jersey Task Force and areas where sitespecific stipulations may be required, 

are described below. 

Results of New Jersey’s Ocean/Wind 

Power Ecological Baseline Studies 

The New Jersey WEA and Call area 

was developed using the boundary of 

New Jersey’s Ocean/Wind Power 

Ecological Baseline Studies (OWPEBS) 

as a base. The results of the OWPEBS 

(http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/ocean-wind/

report.htm) helped to identify areas that 

may not be suitable for development, 

based on features ranging from physical 

obstructions and usages to the presence 

and density of biological resources 

including avian populations and aquatic 

habitat. Areas that were removed from 

consideration include: 

• The northern portion of the 

OWPEBS area, which includes a major 

shipping lane and additional 

telecommunications cables. High bird 

densities are also present in this area 

due to a number of shoals and artificial 

underwater features, which have shown 

to be positively correlated with avian 

populations. 

• The southernmost section of the 

OWPEBS area where a large number of 

shoals and biological resources are 

concentrated (e.g. birds, marine 

mammals, sea turtles), which increases 

the area’s sensitivity to development 

and includes Marine Protected Areas 

(MPAs) and Essential Fish Habitat 

(EFH). 

• The state boundary to 7 nmi line 

where the OWPEBS identified that 

avian density markedly decreased 

moving from inshore to offshore, with a 

steep decline observed at approximately 

7 nmi. The area from the state boundary 

to the 7 nmi limit is excluded due to 

high avian densities, as well as for the 

numerous shipwrecks, reefs, and shoals 

that tend to occur in this zone, in 

addition to higher human activity from 

recreational and commercial vessels 

(e.g. the Tug Barge Transit Route 

roughly follows this 7 nmi line). 

Additional areas of exclusion were 

determined using the environmentally 

sensitive categories defined in the 

OWPEBS, which are listed below in 

order of priority. The areas removed 

from consideration from the area are 

primarily based on the first four 

categories. 

1. No Build Areas (i.e. shipping lanes, 

traffic separation schemes (TSS), 

pipelines and cables, artificial reefs, and 

shipwrecks)—Development is excluded 

in blocks containing some of these 

features (e.g., shipping lanes) since they 

would directly and adversely affect 

shipping. Buffer areas may also be 

required to avoid impacts. 

2. Shoals—Should be avoided since 

they function as feeding grounds and 

nurseries for various pelagic and 

bottom-dwelling species, as well as 

serve as fishing/feeding hotspots for 

recreational and commercial fishermen, 

birds, sea turtles and marine mammals. 

3. High Avian Densities—Areas with 

high avian densities are mostly 

concentrated in state waters along the 

coast. However, some hotspots can be 

found offshore, usually associated with 

shoals or other unique bottom features 

and/or oceanographic dynamics. 

Adverse effects may occur due to the 

greater potential for in-flight mortality 

due to collisions with wind turbines, 

avoidance behaviors caused by the 

disturbance/presence of turbines and/or 

disturbance of bottom features. 

4. Distance from Shore—The results 

of the OWPEBS found that birds, certain 

marine mammals and other resources 

occur in higher densities closer to shore. 

As stated above, bird activity decreases 

markedly beyond 7 nmi from the coast. 

Therefore, some environmental impacts 

would generally be expected to be 

reduced with increasing distance from 

the shoreline. 

5. Fishing Hot Spots—Although 

usually associated with shoals, other 

natural and artificial bottom features 

can contribute to fisheries productivity, 

and should be avoided when possible. 

6. Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles— 

As shown in the OWPEBS, marine 

mammal and sea turtles densities are 

roughly evenly distributed throughout 

the study area, and low in number (with 

the exception of dolphins). However, 

marine mammal and sea turtle densities 

are often found to be higher near 

underwater features such as shoals and 

ridges. 

7. Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)— 

EFHs, although not well defined in the 

study area, are present for numerous 

fish species, and are known to use the 

area during all or some life stages. In 

some cases, EFHs in the Study Area 

overlap (especially in the South), 

increasing impact potential. 

Traffic Separation Scheme 

The area analyzed in the OWPEBS 

encompassed a portion of the Traffic 

Separation Scheme (TSS) in the 

approaches to New York and a 

traditional transit route utilized by tugs 

and barge operators. Based on 

recommendations by the U.S. Coast 

Guard, and considering the lack of 

information currently available to assess 

vessel traffic types, densities, and 

routing direction of vessels leaving the 

TSS, BOEMRE determined that OCS 

blocks within and directly south of the 

TSS should not be included in the area 

identified in this notice. OCS blocks 

within one nautical mile of an identified 

traditional tug and barge transit route 

were also removed from consideration. 

Department of Defense Activities 

The Department of Defense (DOD) 

conducts offshore testing, training, and 

operations on the OCS. The area was 

refined based on DOD assessments of 

compatibility between commercial 

offshore wind development and DOD 

testing, training and operations. OCS 

Blocks determined to be incompatible 

with these activities were removed from 

consideration. 

Department of Defense Potential 

Stipulations 

BOEMRE is aware that portions of the 

area lie within OCS blocks where site 

specific conditions and stipulations may 

need to be developed to ensure that 

projects are compatible with DOD 

activities. The DOD may request site 

specific stipulations in the following 28 

whole lease blocks: Wilmington NJ18– 

02 Blocks 6638, 6688, 6689, 6737, 6738, 

6739, 6740, 6786, 6787, 6788, 6789, 

6836, 6837, 6838, 6886, 6887, 6934, 

6935, 6936, 6983, 6984, 6985, 7032, 

7033, 7034, 7081, 7082, and 7083. In 

addition, parts of the following 34 

blocks may require site specific 

stipulations: Wilmington NJ18–02 

Blocks 6489, 6539, 6588, 6589, 6637, 

6639, 6687, 6736, 6785, 6790, 6835, 

6839, 6840, 6884, 6885, 6888, 6889, 

6933, 6937, 6938, 6982, 6986, 6987, 

7031, 7035, 7036, 7080, 7084, 7085, 

7131, 7132, 7133, 7134; and Salisbury 

NJ18–05 Block 6032 as described in the 

table below. 


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OCS PARTIAL BLOCKS SUBJECT TO DOD SITE SPECIFIC STIPULATIONS

Protraction name Protraction No. Block No. Sub block 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6489 H, L, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6539 B, C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, 

M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6588 D, G, H, J, K, L, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6589 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6637 L, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6639 A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6687 B, C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, 

M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6736 D, G, H, K, L, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6785 L, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6790 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, M, N 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6835 C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6839 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, M, N 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6840 A 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6884 A, G, K, L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6885 C, D, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, 

O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6888 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, M, N, O 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6889 A 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6933 D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, 

O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6937 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6938 A, B, E 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6982 I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6986 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 6987 A, B, E 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7031 I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7035 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7036 A, B, E 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7080 C, D, G, H, L 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7084 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7085 A, B, E 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7131 B, C, D, G, H, L 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7132 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, N, O, P 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7133 A, B, C D, E, F, G, H, I, J, 

K, L, M, N, O 

Wilmington .............................................................................................................. NJ18–02 7134 A, B, E 

Salisbury ................................................................................................................. NJ18–05 6032 C, D, H 

These stipulations could include but 

may not be limited to: Hold and save 

harmless agreements; mandatory 

coordination with DOD on specified 

activities; restrictions on electromagnetic emissions; and evacuation 

procedures from the lease area for safety 

reasons when notified by the DOD. 

Existing Interim Policy Leases Offshore 

New Jersey 

On November 1, 2009, BOEMRE 

executed three IP leases within the Call 

area, which, pending submittal of an 

adequate project plan, authorize the 

construction, installation, and operation 

of meteorological towers or buoys for a 

term of five years, to three developers 

offshore New Jersey. The location of 

each lease, the name of lease holder and 

the lease number are listed below. 

INTERIM POLICY LEASES OFFSHORE NEW JERSEY

Protraction name Protraction No. Block No. Sub block Lease holder Lease No. 

Wilmington ................ NJ18–02 6931 H, K, L, N, O, P ........ Fishermen’s Energy of New Jersey LLC ....... OCS–A–0473 

Wilmington ................ NJ18–02 6936 ................................... Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy LLC ..... OCS–A–0475 

Wilmington ................ NJ18–02 7033 ................................... Deepwater Wind LLC .................................... OCS–A–0472 


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22138 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 20, 2011 / Notices 

These leases do not confer a right to 

develop a commercial offshore wind 

project. Rather, the leases grant the 

exclusive right, pending submittal of an 

adequate project plan, to conduct the 

activities authorized by their lease, 

which are limited to installing and 

operating facilities to characterize wind 

and environmental resources. The 

installation of meteorological towers or 

meteorological buoys on those leases is 

anticipated to begin in mid-2011 with 

lease expiration on November 1, 2014. 

Applicants should be aware that while 

an IP lease area can be nominated for 

commercial development, the IP lease 

holder’s rights are preserved until the 

lease’s expiration date. Electronic copies 

of the executed lease can be found at: 

http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/Projects.htm 

Required Nomination Information 

If you intend to submit a nomination 

for a commercial lease from BOEMRE 

for the development of wind resources 

in the area(s) identified in this notice, 

you must provide the following: 

(1) The BOEMRE Protraction name, 

number, and specific whole or partial 

OCS blocks or sub-blocks within the 

Call area that are of interest for 

commercial wind leasing, including any 

required buffer area. If your proposed 

project area includes one or more partial 

blocks please describe those partial 

blocks in terms of a sixteenth (i.e. subblock) of an OCS block. Note that any 

nomination identifying areas greater 

than what would be reasonably 

necessary to develop a proposed 

commercial wind facility may not be 

considered as a valid nomination. In 

addition, BOEMRE will not consider 

any areas outside of the Call area in this 

process; 

(2) A description of your objectives 

and the facilities that you would use to 

achieve those objectives, including: 

devices and infrastructure involved; 

anticipated power production and likely 

purchasers; a statement that the 

proposed activity conforms with state 

and local energy planning requirements, 

initiatives or guidance, as applicable; 

(3) A schedule of proposed activities, 

including those leading to commercial 

operations; 

(4) Available and pertinent data and 

information concerning renewable 

energy resources and environmental 

conditions in the Call area, including 

energy and resource data and 

information used to evaluate the Call 

area; and 

(5) Documentation demonstrating that 

you are qualified to hold a lease as set 

forth in 30 CFR 285.107, including 

documentation demonstrating that you 

are technically and financially capable 

of constructing, operating, maintaining, 

and decommissioning the facilities 

described in (2) above. Guidance and 

examples of the appropriate 

documentation demonstrating your legal 

qualifications can be found in Chapter 

2 and Appendix B of the BOMRE 

Renewable Energy Framework Guide 

Book available at: http://

www.boemre.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/PDFs/REnGuidebook_ 

03August2009_3_.pdf. 

Guidance regarding how you may 

demonstrate your technical and 

financial qualifications can be found at: 

http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/

RenewableEnergy/

RegulatoryInformation.htm. 

Documentation you submit to 

demonstrate your legal, technical, and 

financial qualifications need to be 

provided to BOEMRE in both paper and 

electronic formats. BOEMRE considers 

an Adobe.pdf file stored on a compact 

disc (CD) to be an acceptable format for 

submitting an electronic copy. 

It is critical that you submit a 

complete nomination so that BOEMRE 

may proceed with the commercial wind 

leasing process offshore New Jersey in a 

timely manner. If BOEMRE reviews 

your nomination and determines that it 

is incomplete, BOEMRE will inform you 

of this determination in writing. This 

letter will describe the information that 

BOEMRE determined to be missing from 

your nomination, and that you must 

submit in order for BOEMRE to deem 

your submission complete. You will be 

given 15 business days from the date of 

the letter to submit the information that 

BOEMRE found to be missing from your 

original submission. If you do not meet 

this deadline, or if BOEMRE determines 

this second submittal to be insufficient 

as well, then BOEMRE retains the right 

to deem your nomination invalid. In 

that case, BOEMRE would not continue 

processing your nomination submitted 

in response to this Call. 

Note that the 15 business day 

compliance period referenced in the 

paragraph above does not apply to the 

process to legally qualify your company 

to hold an OCS renewable energy lease. 

BOEMRE will make a separate 

determination regarding whether the 

information you have submitted is 

sufficient for BOEMRE to determine 

whether you are legally qualified to 

hold a renewable energy lease. The 15 

business day compliance period 

referenced in the paragraph above 

applies to the remainder of your 

documentation required under 1–5 

above, including the information you 

should submit in order to demonstrate 

your technical and financial capability 

to construct, operate, maintain, and 

decommission your proposed facilities. 

Requested Information From Interested 

or Affected Parties 

BOEMRE is requesting specific and 

detailed comments describing the 

following conditions in the area 

identified: 

(1) Geological conditions (including 

bottom and shallow hazards); 

(2) Archeological and cultural 

resource sites on the seabed or 

nearshore; 

(3) Historic properties potentially 

affected by commercial wind 

development in the area identified in 

this Call; 

(4) Multiple uses of the area, 

including navigation (in particular, 

commercial and recreational vessel use), 

recreation, and fisheries (commercial 

and recreational); 

(5) Other relevant socioeconomic, 

biological, and environmental 

information. 

Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information 

Freedom of Information Act 

BOEMRE will protect privileged or 

confidential information that you 

submit as required by the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA). Exemption 4 of 

FOIA applies to trade secrets and 

commercial or financial information 

that you submit that is privileged or 

confidential. If you wish to protect the 

confidentiality of such information, 

clearly mark it and request that 

BOEMRE treat it as confidential. 

BOEMRE will not disclose such 

information, subject to the requirements 

of FOIA. Please label privileged or 

confidential information ‘‘Contains 

Confidential Information’’ and consider 

submitting such information as a 

separate attachment. 

However, BOEMRE will not treat as 

confidential any aggregate summaries of 

such information or comments not 

containing such information. 

Additionally, BOEMRE will not treat as 

confidential (1) the legal title of the 

nominating entity (for example, the 

name of your company), or (2) the list 

of whole or partial blocks that you are 

nominating. Finally, information that is 

not labeled as privileged or confidential 

will be regarded by BOEMRE as suitable 

for public release. 

Section 304 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470w–3(a)) 

BOEMRE is required, after 

consultation with the Secretary, to 

withhold the location, character, or 

ownership of historic resources if it 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 20, 2011 / Notices 22139 

determines that disclosure may, among 

other things, risk harm to the historic 

resources or impede the use of a 

traditional religious site by 

practitioners. Tribal entities should 

designate information that falls under 

Section 304 of NHPA as confidential. 

Dated: April 11, 2011. 

Michael R. Bromwich, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and Enforcement. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9545 Filed 4–19–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement 

Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS), Western 

Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas 

Lease Sale for the 2007–2012 5-Year 

OCS Program 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of 

a Draft Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (SEIS) and Public 

Meetings. 

SUMMARY: BOEMRE has prepared a Draft 

SEIS on an oil and gas lease sale 

tentatively scheduled in late 2011 for 

WPA Lease Sale 218, which is the final 

WPA lease sale in the 2007–2012 5– 

Year OCS Program. The proposed sale is 

in the Gulf of Mexico’s WPA off the 

States of Texas and Louisiana. This 

Draft SEIS updated the environmental 

and socioeconomic analyses for the 

WPA Lease Sale 218, originally 

evaluated in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil 

and Gas Lease Sales: 2007–2012; WPA 

Sales 204, 207, 210, 215, and 218; 

Central Planning Area (CPA) Sales 205, 

206, 208, 213, 216, and 222, Final EIS 

(OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007–018) 

(Multisale EIS), completed in April 

2007. This Draft SEIS also updated the 

environmental and socioeconomic 

analyses for the WPA Lease Sale 218 in 

the GOM OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 

2009–2012; CPA Sales 208, 213, 216, 

and 222; WPA Sales 210, 215, and 218; 

Final Supplemental EIS (OCS EIS/EA 

MMS 2008–041) (2009–2012 SEIS), 

completed in September 2008. 

DATES: Public meetings to obtain 

additional comments and information 

regarding the Draft SEIS scheduled for 

May 17, 2011, and May 19, 2011. For 

additional information see 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more information on the Draft SEIS or 

the public meetings, you may contact 

Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement, Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard 

(MS 5412), New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394, or by e-mail at 

WPASupplementalEIS@boemre.gov. 

You may also contact Mr. Goeke by 

telephone at (504) 736–3233. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BOEMRE 

developed the Draft SEIS for WPA Lease 

Sale 218 to reflect new information 

made available since completion of the 

Multisale EIS and the 2009–2012 SEIS 

and to consider the Deepwater Horizon 

event. This Draft SEIS provides updates 

on the baseline conditions and potential 

environmental effects of oil and natural 

gas leasing, exploration, development, 

and production in the WPA. BOEMRE 

conducted an extensive search for such 

new information, from scientific 

journals; interviews with personnel 

from academic institutions; Federal, 

state, and local agencies; and various 

other sources. BOEMRE has reexamined 

potential impacts of routine activities 

and accidental events, including a 

possible large-scale event, associated 

with the proposed WPA lease sale. 

BOEMRE has also re-analyzed the 

proposed lease sale’s incremental 

contribution to the cumulative impacts 

on environmental and socioeconomic 

resources. Like the Multisale EIS and 

the 2009–2012 SEIS, the oil and gas 

resource estimates and scenario 

information for this Draft SEIS are 

presented as a range that would 

encompass the resources and activities 

estimated for this proposed lease sale. 

Draft Supplemental EIS Availability: 

To obtain a single printed or CD–ROM 

copy of the Draft SEIS for WPA Lease 

Sale 218, you may contact BOEMRE, 

Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public 

Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 

Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 114, 

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394 (1– 

800–200–GULF). An electronic copy of 

the Draft SEIS (as well as links to the 

Multisale EIS and the 2009–2012 SEIS) 

is available at BOEMRE’s Internet Web 

site at http://www.gomr.boemre.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/

nepaprocess.html. The CD–ROM 

version of the Draft SEIS also contains 

copies of the Multisale EIS and the 

2009–2012 SEIS. 

Several libraries along the Gulf Coast 

have been sent copies of the Draft SEIS. 

To find out which libraries and their 

locations have copies of the Draft 

Supplemental EIS for review, you may 

contact BOEMRE’s Public Information 

Office or visit BOEMRE’s Internet Web 

site at http://www.gomr.boemre.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/libraries.html. 

Comments: Federal, State, and local 

government agencies and other 

interested parties are requested to send 

their written comments on the Draft 

Supplemental EIS in one of the 

following two ways: 

1. In written form enclosed in an 

envelope labeled ‘‘Comments on the 

WPA Lease Sale 218 Draft Supplemental 

EIS’’ and mailed (or hand carried) to the 

Regional Supervisor, Leasing and 

Environment (MS 5410), Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, Regulation 

and Enforcement, Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, 

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394. 

2. Electronically to the BOEMRE email address: 

WPASupplementalEIS@boemre.gov. 

Comments should be submitted no later 

than 45 days from the publication of 

this NOA. 

Public Meetings: BOEMRE will hold 

public meetings to obtain additional 

comments and information regarding 

the Draft SEIS. These meetings are 

scheduled as follows: 

• Tuesday, May 17, 2011; Houston 

Airport Marriott at George Bush 

Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy 

Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032, 

beginning at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. CDT; and 

• Thursday, May 19, 2011, Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, Regulation 

and Enforcement, 1201 Elmwood Park 

Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123, beginning at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

CDT. 

Authority: This NOA is published 

pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1503) 

implementing the provisions of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (1988)). 

Dated: April 18, 2011. 

L. Renee Orr, 

Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy 

and Minerals Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9701 Filed 4–19–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2011–N019; [10120–1113– 

0000–C4] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; 5-Year Status Reviews of 

Three Species in Washington, Oregon, 

and California; Reopening of Public 

Comment Period 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES