Abstract
The United States Department of the Interior (USDOI), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) prepared an environmental assessment (EA) to determine whether issuance of leases and approval of site assessment plans (SAPs) within an area identified offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts would have a significant effect on the environment and whether an environmental impact statement (EIS) must be prepared. BOEM conducted its analysis to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) §§ 4321-4370f, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1501.3(b) and 1508.9, USDOI regulations implementing NEPA at 43 CFR 46, and USDOI Manual (DM) Chapter 15 (516 DM 15).
BOEM conducted its environmental analysis after the identification of an area potentially suitable for commercial wind development, called a Wind Energy Area (WEA), was completed. BOEM identified the WEA through input from the BOEM-lead joint Rhode Island/Massachusetts Intergovernmental Task Force (Task Force), comments on the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment (76 Federal Register [FR] 51391), comments on the Call for Information and Nominations for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts (76 FR 51383), and input received during public outreach efforts. The environmental analysis was limited to the effects of lease issuance, site characterization activities (i.e., surveys of the lease area and potential cable routes), and site assessment activities (i.e., construction and operation of meteorological towers and/or buoys on the leases to be issued) within the WEA offshore of Rhode Island and Massachusetts (referred to herein as the Rhode Island and Massachusetts WEA).
On July 2, 2012, BOEM published a Notice of Availability for the Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts Environmental Assessment (2012 EA) (77 FR 39508) for a 30-day comment period. Public information meetings were held in Rhode Island and Massachusetts on July 16 and 17, 2012, to provide stakeholders an additional opportunity to offer comments on the 2012 EA. To address comments received during the public comment period, public information meetings, stakeholder outreach, required consultations, and the Task Force meetings, BOEM has revised the 2012 EA. The revised EA includes a summary of the comments and questions received (see Section 5.1.4). This finding of no significant impact is accompanied by the revised EA and sections and figures in the EA are cited herein.