Abstract
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries partnered to develop the North Atlantic right whale (NARW) and offshore wind (OSW) strategy to focus and coordinate efforts related to NARW and OSW development. In response to Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, both agencies share a common vision to protect and promote the recovery of NARWs while responsibly developing OSW energy. This vision reflects the combined legislative mandates of the two agencies and their commitment to developing OSW while protecting biodiversity.
This shared North Atlantic Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy (hereinafter called “Strategy”) identifies a number of actions to achieve the common vision under three goals: (1) Mitigation and Decision-Support Tools; (2) Research and Monitoring; and (3) Collaboration, Communication, and Outreach. These goals and actions will allow for coordinated and efficient collaborations between BOEM, NOAA, and our partners (including the OSW industry); collection and application of the best available scientific information and data and insights to inform future decisions, including monitoring and mitigation programs; and implementation of effective measures to reduce risk and avoid and minimize impacts to NARWs. Immediate impact mitigation efforts include, for instance, avoiding leasing in areas where major impacts to NARWs may occur, establishing noise limits during construction, and providing guidance to developers on conducting robust sound field verification (for certain activities) to ensure that expected impacts from OSW are not being exceeded.
The Strategy describes many potential actions for further development but does not define or require specific policies or regulatory actions.1 A draft of this Strategy was made available for public comment in October 2022, and the input received was taken into consideration in developing the final Strategy here. The agencies intend to keep the Strategy as a “living” document that will be regularly evaluated and updated as progress is made and new information becomes available. Furthermore, an interagency implementation team will be formed to work with external partners in bringing the Strategy’s vision to fruition.