Abstract
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) reviews Construction Operation Plans and prepares numerous Environmental Assessments as part of its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) responsibilities for proposed site characterization/geologic and geophysical activities and lease sales. To follow the White House Council on Environmental Quality regulations, BOEM developed an efficient, consistent approach to estimate emissions associated with proposed actions. This approach could by extension include the potential beneficial impacts of offshore wind energy facilities on climate change, such as the quantification of indirect impacts and reduction in emissions due to the displacement of grid-based, fossil-fuel-generated electricity.
BOEM developed the Offshore Wind Energy Facilities Emission Estimating Tool (Wind Tool) for BOEM’s NEPA document authors (and possibly project applicants) to easily quantify emissions associated with proposed actions and assess the associated benefits of offshore wind energy facilities.