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### Public Input Requested on Potential Impacts to Historic Priorities:
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Characterization Activities
on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

Thursday, October 20, 2011

On November 23, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the “Smart from the Start” Atlantic wind energy initiative to accelerate the responsible development of wind energy on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Th is initiative calls for the identification of areas of the Atlantic OCS that appear most suitable for commercial wind energy activities, and the opening of these areas for leasing and de tailed site assessment activities.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) launched the first phase of this initiative through the publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) in the Federal Register (76 FR 7226). The NOI identified areas of the OCS offshore the Mid-Atlantic States – New Jersey , Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia – that appeared to provide the most suitable opportunity for wind energy deve lopment, while presenti ng the fewest apparent user conflicts. These Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) were originally delineated in the NOI and later refined through extensiv e consultation with other Fe deral agencies and BOEM’s Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Forces. See Figure 1.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preser vation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f), and the act’s implementing regulations (36 CFR 800), require fede ral agencies to consider the effects of their actions on historic properties and afford th e Advisory Council on Historic Preservation a reasonable opportunity to comment. BOEM is currently conducting Section 106 review for the issuing of leases and approving site assessmen t activities in the WEAs offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. As part of this Section 106 review, BOEM has initiated the consultation process with state hi storic preservation officers, Trib al officials and others. BOEM is now reaching out to the general public for co mment regarding the identification of historic properties or potential effects to historic properties. This information will allow BOEM to consider and document historic preservation conc erns early in the Sec tion 106 process and allow the agency to consider the views of the public in the decision making process. BOEM is also considering public comment received following the NOI and on the EA.

Specifically, BOEM has determined that the fo llowing activities in these WEAs constitute an undertaking subject to Sec tion 106 of the National Hi storic Preservation Act:

(1) Lease issuance (including reasonably foreseeable consequences associated with shallow hazards, geological, geotechnical, and archaeological resource surveys); and, (2) Approval of a Site Assessment Plan (SAP) (including reasonably foreseeable consequences associated with the installa tion and operation of a meteorological tower and/or meteorological buoys).

Please note that any leases that may be issued will not authorize construc tion or operations of commercial wind energy projects; specific proposed projects w ill undergo appropriate2 environmental review and analysis, and a se parate Section 106 revi ew, with additional opportunities for public comment.

On July 12, 2011, BOEM published the Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Characterization Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia - Draft Environmental Assessment which contains information regarding the WEAs

. The full text of the draft EA can be obtained at: http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/RenewableE nergy/PDFs/MidAtla nticWEAs_DraftEA.pdf

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Comments on the proposed undertaking as it pertai ns to historic properties should be submitted to BOEM by November 3, 2011 . Written comments may also be delivered by hand or by mail, enclosed in an envelope labele d “Mid-Atlantic Secti on 106 Consultation” to Program Manager, Office of Renewable Energy (HM 1328), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170–4817.

Figure 1