Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices 40869 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2021–0044] 

Commercial Leasing for Wind Power 

Development on the Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) Offshore Morro Bay, 

California, East and West Extensions— 

Call for Information and Nominations 

(Call or Notice) 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Call for information and 

nominations; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This Call is published to 

solicit public input and industry 

interest on potential offshore wind 

energy development on areas adjacent to 

the Morro Bay Call Area previously 

identified in 2018. These new areas are 

within a 399-square-mile area located 

off central California, identified as the 

Morro Bay 399 Area. 

DATES: BOEM must receive nominations 

and public comments by September 13, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: Submit nominations for a 

lease area following the instructions in 

section 7, ‘‘Required Nomination 

Information,’’ under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION to: BOEM, Office of 

Strategic Resources, 760 Paseo 

Camarillo (Suite 102), Camarillo, 

California 93010. 

Comments and other information may 

be submitted by either of the following 

two methods: 

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. In the search box, 

enter BOEM–2021–0044 and then click 

‘‘search.’’ Follow the instructions to 

submit public comments and view 

supporting and related materials 

available for this notice. 

2. U.S. Postal Service or other 

delivery service. Send your comments 

and information to the following 

address: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Office of Strategic 

Resources, 760 Paseo Camarillo (Suite 

102), Camarillo, California 93010. 

All submissions, including any 

personally identifiable information 

included in your comment, will be 

reported on http://www.regulations.gov. 

For additional information on sending 

comments and protecting your 

confidentiality, see section 8, 

‘‘Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information,’’ under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean 

Thurston-Keller, BOEM California 

Intergovernmental Renewable Energy 

Task Force Coordinator, BOEM, Office 

of Strategic Resources, 760 Paseo 

Camarillo (Suite 102), Camarillo, 

California 93010, (805) 384–6303, or 

jean.thurston-keller@boem.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority 

This Call is published pursuant to 43 

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

regulations at 30 CFR part 585. 

Call Area 

The call areas described in this notice 

are located on the OCS offshore central 

California and are delineated as the 

Morro Bay Call Area East Extension and 

the Morro Bay Call Area West Extension 

(together, the Call Area Extensions). 

These areas include 2 whole OCS blocks 

and 221 partial blocks and comprise 

approximately 141 square statute miles 

(mi) (90,025 acres). BOEM will identify 

which, if any, portions of the Call Area 

Extensions and the Morro Bay Call Area 

will undergo environmental analysis 

and consideration for leasing as part of 

area identification (Area ID) during the 

competitive leasing process. Section 5, 

‘‘Description of the Area,’’ provides a 

detailed description and developmental 

history of the Call Area Extensions. 

Purpose of the Call for Information and 

Nominations 

The OCS Lands Act requires BOEM to 

award leases competitively unless 

BOEM determines that there is no 

competitive interest (43 U.S.C. 

1337(p)(3)). On October 19, 2018, BOEM 

published a call for information and 

nominations to solicit commercial 

interest in wind energy leases within 

three areas identified offshore California 

(83 FR 53096). 

In this current notice, BOEM solicits 

information on the Call Area 

Extensions, as well as new nominations 

of commercial interest from entities that 

were not previously qualified by BOEM 

and did not submit a nomination for the 

Morro Bay Call Area in 2018. Entities 

who submitted nominations of 

commercial interest for the Morro Bay 

Call Area in 2018 do not need to 

respond to this Call unless they want to 

nominate portions of the Call Area 

Extensions. 

BOEM determined that competitive 

interest existed in the Morro Bay Call 

Area after reviewing the nominations 

submitted in 2018. BOEM assumes that 

competitive interest will be expressed in 

the Call Area Extensions described in 

this notice given their geographical 

proximity to the Morro Bay Call Area. 

Depending on the comments received in 

response to this Call, BOEM may or may 

not proceed with the competitive 

leasing process set forth in 30 CFR 

585.211 through 585.225. This process 

is explained in detail in section 3, 

‘‘BOEM’s Planning and Leasing 

Process.’’ 

A lease does not grant the lessee the 

right to construct any facilities on the 

leasehold. Rather, the lease grants the 

lessee the exclusive right to submit site 

assessment and construction and 

operations plans to BOEM, which 

BOEM may approve, modify, or 

disapprove. The lessee must obtain 

BOEM’s approval of its plans before it 

may proceed to the next stage of the 

process (30 CFR 585.600 and 585.601). 

BOEM’s leasing process includes 

opportunities for the public to provide 

input, and any proposed leasing actions 

will be reviewed thoroughly for 

potential environmental impacts and 

multiple use conflicts. The areas that 

may be offered for lease, if any, have not 

yet been determined and may include 

less than the total footprint of the Call 

Area Extensions. 

Although this notice is not itself a 

leasing announcement, the area 

described herein, or portions thereof, 

may be available for future leasing. 

Parties wishing to submit a nomination 

of commercial interest in response to 

this Call should submit detailed and 

specific information in response to the 

requirements described in section 7, 

‘‘Required Nomination Information.’’ 

This notice also requests comments and 

information regarding site conditions, 

resources, and multiple uses in close 

proximity to, or within, the Call Area 

Extensions that would be relevant to 

BOEM’s review of the nominations and 

to any subsequent decision whether to 

offer all or part of the Call Area 

Extensions for commercial wind energy 

leasing. Information that BOEM is 

requesting is described in section 6, 

‘‘Requested Information from Interested 

or Affected Parties.’’ 

1 Background 

On October 19, 2018, BOEM 

published a call for information and 

nominations in the Federal Register 

(2018 Call) that identified three (3) 

geographically distinct call areas on the 

OCS offshore California, delineated as 

the Humboldt Call Area offshore the 

north coast and the Morro Bay Call Area 

and the Diablo Canyon Call Area 

offshore the central coast. 

Based on the 2018 Call, BOEM 

previously decided to move forward 

with the leasing process for the 

Humboldt Call Area. That area is not 

addressed in this notice. 

Following the 2018 Call, the Morro 

Bay and Diablo Canyon Call Areas were 

initially assessed as incompatible for 

wind energy development by the U.S. 


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1Codified at 43 U.S.C. 1337(p). 

Department of Defense (DoD). However, 

after that initial assessment, BOEM, the 

State of California, various California 

elected officials, the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration’s 

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries 

(ONMS) and DoD continued discussions 

and stakeholder outreach to find a 

solution that accommodated offshore 

wind development on the central coast 

and DoD’s mission requirements. More 

information and results of these 

meetings and outreach can be viewed at: 

https://www.boem.gov/renewableenergy/state-activities/publicinformation-meetings-and-outreachefforts. 

In May 2021, the Department of the 

Interior, DoD, and the State of California 

agreed to advance areas for possible 

wind energy development offshore the 

northern and central coasts of 

California, enabling a path forward for 

the Humboldt Call Area and areas 

within and adjacent to the Morro Bay 

Call Area (https://www.doi.gov/ 

pressreleases/biden-harrisadministration-advances-offshore-windpacific). With this notice, BOEM is 

examining the Call Area Extensions 

adjacent to the Morro Bay Call Area but 

is not considering the Diablo Canyon 

Call Area. 

After reviewing the information 

received in response to this Call, BOEM 

may combine all or portions of the Call 

Area Extensions with all or portions of 

the Morro Bay Call Area into one or 

more Wind Energy Areas (WEA) that 

would be subject to environmental 

analysis and consideration for leasing. It 

is unnecessary for those who previously 

nominated areas within the 2018 Morro 

Bay Call Area to do so again. 

1.1 The Energy Policy Act of 2005 

(EPAct) 

The EPAct amended the OCS Lands 

Act by adding subsection 8(p),1 which 

authorizes the Secretary of the Interior 

to grant leases, easements, and rights-ofway (ROWs) on the OCS for activities 

not previously authorized by the OCS 

Lands Act or other applicable law. 

Under subsection 8(p)(1)(C), the 

Secretary may issue leases for activities 

that produce or support production, 

transportation, or transmission of energy 

from sources other than oil or gas, 

including renewable energy sources. 

The Secretary delegated this authority to 

issue leases, easements, and ROWs to 

the Director of BOEM. 

1.2 Offshore Wind Energy Planning 

Efforts in California 

BOEM appreciates the importance of 

coordinating its planning with relevant 

Federal agencies, Tribes, State agencies, 

and other OCS users. BOEM and the 

State of California, through the 

leadership of the California Energy 

Commission, have engaged in a 

collaborative, data-based offshore wind 

energy planning process in order to 

foster coordinated and informed 

decisions about California’s shared 

ocean resources and the many users 

who depend on them. This outreach has 

consisted of numerous public meetings, 

webinars, and briefings with coastal 

communities, fishing communities, 

federally and non-federally recognized 

Tribes, State and Federal agencies, 

academia, scientists, environmental 

non-governmental organizations, and 

the offshore renewable energy industry. 

The summary report on this outreach 

can be viewed at: https://

www.boem.gov/California-OutreachSummary-Report/. Additional 

information gathered by BOEM and the 

State of California during the offshore 

wind energy planning process, 

including maps and spatially 

represented data, is available online at: 

https://caoffshorewind.databasin.org/. 

1.3 BOEM California 

Intergovernmental Renewable Energy 

Task Force 

At the request of Governor Brown, 

BOEM established an intergovernmental 

renewable energy task force with 

California in 2016 (Task Force) to 

facilitate coordination among relevant 

Federal agencies and affected Tribal, 

State, and local governments throughout 

the leasing process. The Task Force met 

three times: October 13, 2016; 

September 17, 2018; and March 9, 2020. 

Meeting materials are available on the 

BOEM website at: https://

www.boem.gov/California/. 

1.4 Actions Taken by the State of 

California in Support of Renewable 

Energy Development 

In 2002, the State of California 

established a renewables portfolio 

standard (RPS), which establishes how 

much of California’s electricity should 

be powered by renewable energy 

resources. California expanded the RPS 

in 2015 through passage of the Clean 

Energy and Pollution Reduction Act, 

and through passage of Senate Bill 100 

(SB 100), the 100 Percent Clean Energy 

Act of 2018. SB 100 increased the 

State’s RPS to 50 percent by 2025 and 

60 percent by 2030, and provides that 

renewable energy resources and zerocarbon resources supply 100 percent of 

retail sales of electricity to California 

end-use customers and 100 percent of 

electricity procured to serve state 

agencies by December 31, 2045. 

California’s RPS is one of the most 

ambitious renewable energy standards 

in the country. Additional information 

about California’s RPS is available at: 

https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industriesand-topics/electrical-energy/electricpower-procurement/rps and https://

www.energy.ca.gov/programs-andtopics/programs/renewables-portfoliostandard. The full text of SB 100 is 

available at: https://

leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/ 

billNavClient.xhtml?bill_

id=201720180SB100. 

2 BOEM’s Environmental Review 

Process 

Prior to deciding whether and where 

leases may be issued, BOEM will 

prepare an environmental assessment 

(EA) and conduct appropriate 

consultations to consider the 

environmental consequences associated 

with issuing commercial wind energy 

leases. As any lease that BOEM intends 

to issue would not grant the right to 

construct any facilities within the 

leasehold, the EA will consider the 

environmental consequences associated 

with leasing, site assessment, and site 

characterization activities (including 

geophysical, geotechnical, 

archaeological, and biological surveys). 

If BOEM issues a lease and the lessee 

proposes the construction and operation 

of offshore wind energy facilities, BOEM 

will identify, analyze, and consider the 

environmental effects of such 

construction and operation through a 

separate, project-specific process under 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), which will include additional 

opportunities for public involvement. 

At that time, BOEM also will conduct 

further coordination and consultation, 

including, but not limited to, those 

which may be required under the 

Coastal Zone Management Act, 

Endangered Species Act, the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act, section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA), and Executive Order 13175 

(‘‘Consultation and Coordination With 

Tribal Governments’’). 

3 BOEM’s Planning and Leasing 

Process 

3.1 Determination of Competitive 

Interest 

As stated in 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3), ‘‘the 

Secretary shall issue a lease, easement, 

or right-of-way . . . on a competitive 


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basis unless the Secretary determines 

after public notice of a proposed lease, 

easement, or right-of-way that there is 

no competitive interest.’’ Accordingly, 

BOEM must first determine whether 

competitive interest exists in the Call 

Area Extensions for the purpose of 

offshore wind energy development. At 

the conclusion of the comment period 

for the 2018 Call, BOEM reviewed the 

14 nominations received and 

determined competitive interest existed 

in the Morro Bay Call Area. BOEM may 

proceed with competitive leasing as 

described in section 3.2, ‘‘Competitive 

Leasing Process.’’ 

BOEM will not issue any leases until 

it has completed the necessary 

consultations and environmental 

analysis and given the public an 

opportunity to comment. BOEM 

reserves the right to determine which, if 

any, of the nominated areas within the 

Morro Bay Call Area and Call Area 

Extensions will be leased and to modify 

such areas from their original, proposed 

description before offering them for 

lease. 

3.2 Competitive Leasing Process 

If, BOEM proceeds with the 

competitive leasing process for certain 

areas after receiving nominations and 

responses to this Call, BOEM will follow 

the steps required by 30 CFR 585.211 

through 585.225. 

(1) Area Identification: After 

reviewing the information submitted in 

response to this Call, BOEM may 

combine all or portions of the Call Area 

Extensions with all or portions of areas 

identified in response to the 2018 Call 

into one or more WEA, subject to 

environmental analysis in consultation 

with appropriate Federal agencies, 

Tribes, States, local governments, and 

other interested parties. 

(2) Proposed Sale Notice (PSN): If 

BOEM decides to proceed with a 

competitive lease sale within a WEA 

after its environmental analysis, BOEM 

will publish a PSN in the Federal 

Register with a comment period of 60 

days. The PSN will describe each lease 

area BOEM intends to offer, the 

proposed conditions of a lease auction, 

the proposed lease auction format, and 

the lease document, including lease 

addenda. Additionally, the PSN will 

describe the criteria and process for 

evaluating bids in the lease sale. 

(3) Final Sale Notice (FSN): After 

considering the comments on the PSN, 

if BOEM decides to proceed with a 

competitive lease sale, BOEM will 

publish the FSN in the Federal Register 

at least 30 days before the date of the 

lease sale. 

(4) Bid Submission and Evaluation: 

Following publication of the FSN, 

BOEM will offer each lease area through 

a competitive sale process, using 

procedures specified in the FSN. BOEM 

will ensure that bidders have complied 

with all applicable regulations. BOEM 

reserves the right to reject any or all bids 

or to withdraw an offer to lease an area, 

even after bids have been submitted. 

(5) Issuance of a Lease: Following 

BOEM’s selection of the winning bid on 

a lease area, BOEM will notify the 

successful bidder and provide that 

bidder with a set of official lease 

documents for signature. The successful 

bidder will be required to sign and 

return the lease documents, pay the 

remainder of the bid, if applicable, and 

file the required financial assurance 

within 10-business days of receiving the 

lease documents. Upon receipt of the 

required payments, financial assurance, 

and properly signed lease documents, 

BOEM may execute a lease with the 

successful bidder. 

4 Development of the Call Area 

Extensions 

In coordination with the State of 

California, BOEM held multiple 

stakeholder outreach meetings in central 

California to obtain input into the 

development of additional areas in and 

around the Morro Bay Call Area 

identified in 2018 and to gather data 

and information to use in BOEM’s 

decision-making process. BOEM, the 

State of California, State elected 

officials, ONMS, and DoD conducted 

additional outreach and engagement to 

determine if any additional areas in and 

around the Morro Bay Call Area should 

be considered for potential leasing. 

More information on these meetings and 

outreach can be viewed at: https://

www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/stateactivities/public-information-meetingsand-outreach-efforts. The DoD 

expressed concerns regarding military 

activities and compatibility with 

offshore wind energy development 

during these meetings and outreach. 

The DoD conducts offshore testing, 

training, and operations on the OCS 

offshore the central coast of California. 

Because the DoD testing, training, and 

operations off the coast of California are 

essential to national security, DoD 

played a critical role in identifying these 

new areas for offshore wind 

development. The Department of the 

Interior, in close coordination with the 

DoD, identified the Call Area Extensions 

to advance the planning for wind energy 

development offshore Morro Bay 

(https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/ 

biden-harris-administration-advancesoffshore-wind-pacific). Through this 

Call, BOEM requests information and 

nominations regarding the Call Area 

Extensions so that potential use 

conflicts can be analyzed and 

considered in the Area ID stage of the 

leasing process. 

BOEM’s subsequent analysis during 

Area ID will evaluate the Call Area 

Extensions and the Morro Bay Call Area 

for appropriateness for offshore wind 

energy development, balanced against 

potential ocean user conflicts. After 

conducting environmental reviews and 

associated consultations, analyzing 

public comments, and coordinating 

with other government agencies through 

the Task Force, BOEM anticipates 

developing and incorporating terms and 

conditions—including any measures 

necessary to mitigate impacts—at the 

leasing and site assessment and 

characterization phases. This Call 

allows additional stakeholders to 

provide input on the Call Area 

Extensions prior to further modification 

during the Area ID process. 

5 Description of the Area 

The Call Area Extensions are 

described geographically in this section. 

A map of the Call Area Extensions, the 

Morro Bay Call Area, and associated GIS 

files, which are located in UTM Zone 

10N, NAD 83 Datum, can be found at 

the following URL: https://

www.boem.gov/California/. 

Morro Bay Call Area East Extension 

The boundary of Morro Bay Call Area 

East Extension begins 21 mi offshore 

Cambria, California. The area is about 7 

mi in length from north to south and 

about 3 mi in width from east to west. 

The entire area is approximately 23 

square mi (14,589 acres) and is 

described in the table below: 

Area Official protraction diagram name 

Official 

protraction 

diagram No. 

Block number Sub-block 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6457 G, H, K, L, P. 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6458 E, F, I, J, M, N, O. 


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Area Official protraction diagram name 

Official 

protraction 

diagram No. 

Block number Sub-block 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6508 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, O, 

P. 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6509 E, I, J, M, N, O. 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6558 D. 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6559 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H. 

East Extension ................................ San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6560 E. 

Morro Bay Call Area West Extension 

The boundary of Morro Bay Call Area 

West Extension begins 35 mi offshore 

Cambria, California. The area is about 

23 mi in length from north to south and 

about 11 mi in width from east to west. 

The entire area is approximately 118 

square mi (75,436 acres) and is 

described in the table below: 

Area Official protraction diagram name 

Official 

protraction 

diagram No. 

Block No. Sub-block 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6251 A, E, F, G, I, J, M, N. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6301 A, B, E, F, I, J, N. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6451 M. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6501 A, E, F, I, J, K, L, N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6502 M, N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6503 J, M, N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6551 C, D, H. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6552 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6553 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6554 A, B, C, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L. 

West Extension ............................... San Luis Obispo ............................ NI10–03 6555 E, F, I, J, K. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6237 C, D, H, L, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6238 A, B, C, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, 

N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6239 E, F, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6240 M, N, O. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6288 B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6289 All. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6290 All. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6339 D, H, L, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6340 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, 

M, N. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6389 B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6390 A, E, I. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6439 B, C, D, G, H, K, L, P.

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6440 E, I, M. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6489 D. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6490 A, B, E, F, G, J, K, L, N, O, P. 

West Extension ............................... Sur Canyon .................................... NI10–02 6540 C, D, H. 

6 Requested Information From 

Interested or Affected Parties 

BOEM requests specific and detailed 

comments from the public and 

interested or affected parties regarding 

the following: 

1. Geological, geophysical, and 

biological conditions (including bottom 

and shallow hazards and live bottoms) 

in the Call Area Extensions. 

2. Known archaeological or cultural 

resource sites on the seabed in the Call 

Area Extensions. 

3. Historic properties potentially 

affected by site characterization and 

assessment or commercial wind energy 

development in the Call Area 

Extensions. This information will 

inform BOEM’s review of future 

undertakings under section 106 of 

NHPA and under NEPA. 

4. Other uses of the Call Area 

Extensions, including navigation (in 

particular, commercial and recreational 

vessel use), recreation, and fisheries 

(commercial and recreational). 

5. Additional information regarding 

recreational and commercial fisheries 

that operate within the Call Area 

Extensions, including, but not limited 

to, the use of the area, the fishing gear 

types used, seasonal use, and 

suggestions for reducing use conflicts. 

6. Available and pertinent data and 

information concerning renewable 

energy resources and environmental 

conditions in and around the Call Area 

Extensions. Where applicable, spatial 

information should be submitted in a 

format compatible with ArcGIS 10.5 in 

a geographic coordinate system (NAD 

83). 

7. Information relating to the visual 

resources and aesthetics of the Call Area 

Extensions, the potential impacts of 

wind turbines located within the Call 

Area Extensions to those resources, and 

potential strategies to help mitigate or 

minimize any visual effects. 

8. Relevant socioeconomic, biological, 

and environmental information. 

9. Any other relevant information 

BOEM should consider during its 

planning and decision-making process 

for the purpose of issuing leases in the 

Call Area Extensions. 

7 Required Nomination Information 

All interested entities should submit 

their nomination for any possible 

commercial wind energy lease area 


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within the Call Area Extensions in 

response to this Call. If you intend to 

submit one or more nominations, you 

must provide the following information 

for each nomination: 

1. The BOEM Protraction Diagram 

name and number, and the specific 

whole or partial OCS blocks within the 

Call Area Extensions that you are 

interested in leasing, inclusive of any 

potential buffers with adjacent leases. 

This information should be submitted as 

a spatial file compatible with ArcGIS 

10.5 in a geographic coordinate system 

(NAD 83) in addition to your hard copy 

submittal. If a proposed lease area 

includes one or more partial blocks, 

please describe those partial blocks in 

terms of a sixteenth (i.e., sub-block) of 

an OCS block. 

2. A description of your objectives 

and the facilities that you would use to 

achieve those objectives. 

3. A preliminary 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 any area that you 

nominate, including energy and 

resource data and information used to 

evaluate the area. Where applicable, 

spatial information should be submitted 

in a format compatible with ArcGIS 10.5 

in a geographic coordinate system (NAD 

83). 

5. Documentation demonstrating that 

you are legally qualified to hold a lease, 

as set forth in 30 CFR 585.106 and 

585.107(c). Examples of the 

documentation appropriate for 

demonstrating your legal qualifications 

and related guidance can be found in 

Chapter 2 and Appendix B of the BOEM 

Renewable Energy Framework Guide 

Book available at https://

www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/ 

documents/about-boem/ 

Qualification%20Guidelines.pdf. Legal 

qualification documents will be placed 

in an official file that may be made 

available for public review. If you wish 

that any part of your legal qualification 

documentation be kept confidential, 

clearly identify what should be kept 

confidential, and submit it under 

separate cover (see section 8, 

‘‘Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information’’). Entities who submitted 

nominations of interest for the Morro 

Bay Call Area in response to the 2018 

Call do not need to submit this 

information again. 

6. Documentation demonstrating that 

you are technically and financially 

capable of constructing, operating, 

maintaining, and decommissioning the 

facilities described in 7(2) above, as set 

forth in 30 CFR 585.107(a). Guidance 

regarding the required documentation to 

demonstrate your technical and 

financial qualifications can be found at: 

http://www.boem.gov/RenewableEnergy-Program/RegulatoryInformation/QualificationGuidelinespdf.aspx. Entities who submitted 

nominations of interest for the Morro 

Bay Call Area in response to the 2018 

Call do not need to submit this 

information again. 

7. Any documentation you submit to 

demonstrate your legal, technical, and 

financial qualifications must be 

provided to BOEM in both paper and 

electronic formats. BOEM considers an 

Adobe PDF file on a storage media 

device to be an acceptable format for an 

electronic copy. 

You are not required to submit a 

nomination in response to this Call to 

participate in a potential future 

competitive lease sale offshore 

California. However, you will be 

required to demonstrate to BOEM that 

you are legally, technically, and 

financially qualified to hold a BOEMissued renewable energy lease before 

you will be allowed to participate in a 

competitive lease sale. To ensure that 

BOEM has sufficient time to process 

your qualifications package, you should 

submit this package before or during the 

PSN 60-day public comment period. 

More information can be found at: 

http://www.boem.gov/RenewableEnergy-Program/RegulatoryInformation/QualificationGuidelinespdf.aspx. 

BOEM will list the parties that 

submitted nominations and the 

locations of the proposed lease areas 

(i.e., OCS blocks nominated) on the 

BOEM website after the comment period 

has closed. 

8 Protection of Privileged or 

Confidential Information 

8.1 Freedom of Information Act 

Under the Freedom of Information 

Act (FOIA), BOEM will protect the 

privileged or confidential information 

that you submit. 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 BOEM treat it as 

confidential. BOEM will not disclose 

such information if it qualifies for 

exemption from disclosure under FOIA. 

Please label privileged or confidential 

information ‘‘Contains Confidential 

Information’’ and consider submitting 

such information as a separate 

attachment. 

BOEM will not treat as confidential 

any aggregate summaries of such 

information or comments not containing 

such information. Additionally, BOEM 

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. Information 

that is not labeled as privileged or 

confidential will be regarded by BOEM 

as suitable for public release. 

8.2 Personally Identifiable Information 

BOEM does not consider anonymous 

comments; please include your name 

and address as part of your comment. 

You should be aware that your entire 

comment, including your name, 

address, and any other personally 

identifiable information that you 

submit, may be made publicly available 

at any time. All submissions from 

identified individuals, businesses, and 

organizations will be available for 

public viewing on regulations.gov. 

In order for BOEM to withhold from 

disclosure your personally identifiable 

information, you must identify any 

information contained in your 

comments that, if released, would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of your personal privacy. You 

must also briefly describe any possible 

harmful consequences of the disclosure 

of information, such as embarrassment, 

injury, or other harm. 

8.3 Section 304 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 

307103) 

BOEM is required, after consultation 

with the Secretary, to withhold the 

location, character, or ownership of 

historic resources if it 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. 

Amanda Lefton, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16134 Filed 7–28–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 


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