[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85233-85234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24862]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0054]


Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for Expected Wind Energy Development in the New York 
Bight

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; final programmatic environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the 
availability of the final programmatic environmental impact statement 
(PEIS) to analyze the potential impacts of wind energy development in 
six lease areas of the New York (NY) Bight. The Proposed Action for the 
final PEIS is the identification of specific measures at the 
programmatic stage that could avoid, minimize, mitigate, or monitor 
potential impacts. The final PEIS will inform BOEM's decision about 
whether to identify certain avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and 
monitoring (AMMM) measures at this stage that could potentially be 
required as conditions of approval for activities proposed by NY Bight 
lessees in their construction and operations plans (COPs) or defer the 
identification of such measures to each project-specific environmental 
review.

ADDRESSES: The final PEIS can be found on the NY Bight website at: 
https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/new-york-bight.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Lewandowski, BOEM Office of 
Environmental Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, VAM-OEP, Sterling, 
Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1703 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#503a393c3c7e3c3527313e343f27233b3910323f353d7e373f26"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c666560602260697b6d6268637b7f67654c6e636961226b637a">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: The final PEIS analyzes the development of both 
one and six representative projects, including associated export 
cables, within a range of design parameters informed by lessees, for 
the NY Bight and considers the potential environmental impacts of that 
development. The Proposed Action for the PEIS is the identification of 
measures at the programmatic stage that could avoid, minimize, 
mitigate, and monitor impacts. BOEM may require some or all of these 
measures as conditions of approval for activities proposed by lessees 
in COPs submitted for the six NY Bight lease areas. BOEM may require 
additional or different measures based on subsequent, project-specific 
environmental analyses. These AMMM measures are considered programmatic 
insofar as they may be applied to COPs for the six NY Bight lease 
areas, not because they necessarily will apply to COPs under BOEM's 
renewable energy program outside of the NY Bight area. The PEIS 
analyzes the potential impacts of development in the NY Bight area and 
how those impacts can be avoided, minimized, or mitigated by AMMM 
measures. The alternatives analyzed do not involve any final actions by 
BOEM or lessees.
    Alternatives: BOEM considered 19 alternatives when preparing the 
draft PEIS and carried forward three alternatives for further analysis 
in the final PEIS. These three alternatives include two action 
alternatives and the no action alternative. Sixteen alternatives were 
rejected because they did not meet the purpose and need for the 
proposed action or did not meet screening criteria, which are presented 
in Chapter 2 of the final PEIS. The screening criteria included 
consistency with law and regulations, technical and economic 
feasibility, environmental impact, and geographic considerations.
    Availability of the Final PEIS: The final PEIS and associated 
information are available on the New York Bight website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/new-york-bight. BOEM has 
distributed digital copies of the final PEIS to all parties listed in 
Appendix N of the final PEIS. If you need a flash drive or paper copy, 
BOEM will provide one upon request as long as copies are available. You 
may request a flash drive or paper copy of the final PEIS by calling 
(703) 787-1703.
    Cooperating Agencies: The following 13 Federal, State, and local 
agencies participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the 
final PEIS: the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency; National Marine Fisheries Service; 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service; National Park Service; New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection; New Bedford Port Authority; New York State Department of 
State; New York State Department of Environmental Compliance; New 
Jersey Board of Public

[[Page 85234]]

Utilities; and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. The 
following Tribal Nations participated as Cooperating Tribal Governments 
in the preparation of the final PEIS: the Stockbridge-Munsee Community 
Band of Mohican Indians and the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal 
Nation. The New York City Mayor's Office of Environmental Coordination 
served as a participating agency in the preparation of the final PEIS.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (NEPA, as amended), and 40 CFR 
1506.6.

Karen Baker,
Chief, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-24862 Filed 10-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P


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