The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announcedtoday that it will conduct a regional environmental review of potential development activities on the five offshore wind lease areas off California’s central and north coasts.
A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow, initiating a 60-day comment period. The input gathered during the comment period will inform the scope and alternatives of the PEIS.
“This regional environmental analysis will help ensure that timely decisions can be made to advance offshore wind while protecting the ocean environment, marine life, and other ocean uses," said Doug Boren, BOEM Pacific Regional Director. "This approach also ensures both a comprehensive review of the California areas and improved efficiencies for future offshore wind project reviews.”
The PEIS will describe the potential impacts of federal offshore wind energy development activities off the coast of California, as well as the change in those impacts that could result from adopting programmatic mitigation measures. BOEM will conduct subsequent site-specific NEPA analyses and consultations for individual proposed wind energy projects as construction and operations plans for those projects are received.
“Interest in California’s market is already generating billions in potential investment, and building momentum for floating offshore wind on the West Coast ensures the U.S. keeps pace with global advancements," Liz Burdock, founder and CEO of Oceantic Network, said in a statement. "By doing preliminary analysis on the newly leased West Coast areas, BOEM will streamline offshore wind development in California and build in environmental protections on the front-end. This proactive action is exactly the type of leadership we need from our state and federal governments.”
Additional information on the California Offshore Wind Energy PEIS and scoping webinars is available on the BOEM website at https://www.boem.gov/caoffshorewindpeis.
The five offshore wind energy lease areas off the coast of California were awarded through BOEM’s December 2022 auction that brought in over $757 million and will result in over $117 million for workforce training programs and U.S. domestic supply chain investments for the floating offshore wind energy industry.
