Abstract
In the coming decade, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) anticipates the development of offshore wind farms in federal waters on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). BOEM is responsible for overseeing offshore renewable energy development on the OCS, including offshore wind energy development. BOEM supports responsible development of renewable energy through issuing leases and approving development plans. Under its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) responsibilities, BOEM uses the best available information within an environmental assessment to identify and mitigate potential space-use conflicts with other ocean uses.
This study utilized a literature review to evaluate the current documentation related to navigational concerns associated with offshore wind infrastructure, focusing on existing policy and guidance, navigational risk assessments, collisions and allisions, commercial fisheries, and recreational fisheries. Expert discussions were conducted with subject matter experts to gather supplemental information on concerns related to offshore wind energy development and marine vessel navigation. This report provides summaries of the major topics identified and areas of broad agreement among the literature sources and stakeholders, as well as areas of divergent views where additional research may be necessary.
For the five categories examined in this literature review—existing policy and guidance, navigational risk assessments, collisions and allisions, commercial fisheries, and recreational fisheries—several findings were identified. The following subsections provide an overview of these findings.