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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34781-34782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14004]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2014-0011; MMAA104000]

Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on 
the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Massachusetts

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of the Availability of a Revised Environmental 
Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

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SUMMARY: BOEM has prepared a revised EA considering the reasonably 
foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic effects of issuing 
renewable energy leases and lessees' subsequent site characterization

[[Page 34782]]

activities (e.g., geophysical, geotechnical, archaeological, and 
biological surveys) and site assessment activities (including the 
installation and operation of meteorological towers and buoys) on those 
leases that may be issued in the Wind Energy Area (WEA) on the OCS 
offshore Massachusetts (MA). The purpose of this notice is to inform 
the public of the availability of the revised EA and FONSI, which can 
be accessed online at: http://www.boem.gov/State-Activities-Massachusetts.
    In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing NEPA at 40 CFR 1500-1508, BOEM issued a FONSI 
supported by the analysis in the revised EA. The FONSI concluded that 
the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed action and alternatives, as set forth in the EA, would not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment; therefore, 
the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not 
required.

    Authority: This notice is published pursuant to 43 CFR 46.305.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Morin, BOEM Office of 
Renewable Energy Programs, 381 Elden Street, HM 1328, Herndon, Virginia 
20170-4817, (703) 787-1340 or michelle.morin@boem.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 2, 2012, BOEM published a Notice 
of Availability (NOA) of an EA, requesting public comment on 
alternatives considered in that 2012 EA. In addition, comments were 
requested on measures to mitigate impacts to environmental resources 
and socioeconomic conditions that could potentially occur in the MA WEA 
and surrounding areas as a result of leasing, site characterization, 
and site assessment activities in those areas (77 FR 66185).
    The 2012 EA considered the impacts that could result from leasing 
the entire MA WEA and BOEM's approval of site assessment plans within 
that area. Comments received in response to the 2012 NOA can be viewed 
at: http://www.regulations.gov by searching for Docket ID BOEM-2012-
0086.
    Based on comments received on the 2012 EA, and results of required 
consultations (e.g., Endangered Species Act), BOEM revised the 2012 EA. 
BOEM will use this revised EA to inform decisions to issue leases in 
the MA WEA, and to subsequently approve Site Assessment Plans (SAPs) on 
those leases. BOEM may issue one or more commercial wind energy leases 
in the MA WEA. The competitive lease process is set forth at 30 CFR 
585.210-585.225.
    A commercial lease gives the lessee the exclusive right to seek 
BOEM approval for the development of the leasehold. The lease does not 
grant the lessee the right to construct any facilities; rather, the 
lease grants the lessee the right to use the leased area to develop its 
plans, which BOEM must approve before the lessee may proceed to the 
next stage of the process. See 30 CFR 585.600 and 585.601. In the event 
that a particular lease is issued, and the lessee submits a SAP, BOEM 
would then determine whether the revised EA adequately considers the 
environmental consequences of the activities proposed in the lessee's 
SAP. If BOEM determines that the analysis in the revised EA adequately 
considers these consequences, then no further analysis under NEPA would 
be required and BOEM could approve the SAP. If, on the other hand, BOEM 
determines that the analysis in this revised EA is inadequate for that 
purpose, BOEM would prepare additional NEPA analysis before it could 
approve the SAP.
    If a lessee is prepared to propose a wind energy generation 
facility on its lease, it would submit a Construction and Operations 
Plan (COP). BOEM then would prepare a separate site- and project-
specific NEPA analysis of the proposed project. This analysis would 
likely take the form of an EIS in which BOEM would evaluate the 
reasonably foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic consequences of 
the proposed project. The EIS would provide the public and Federal 
officials with comprehensive information regarding the reasonably 
foreseeable environmental impacts of the proposed project and would 
inform BOEM's decision to approve, approve with modification, or 
disapprove a lessee's COP pursuant to 30 CFR 585.628. This process 
would include additional opportunities for public involvement pursuant 
to NEPA.

    Dated: June 10, 2014.
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-14004 Filed 6-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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