Vineyard Wind 1 Construction and Operations Plan

This document constitutes the  Bureau of Ocean Energy Management  (BOEM), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and National Oceanic and  Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine  Fisheries  Service (NMFS)  joint Record of Decision (ROD) for  the  final Environmental  Impact  Statement (FEIS) prepared  for  the Vineyard  Wind 1  Offshore  Wind Energy Project (Project)  Construction and Operations Plan (COP). The ROD addresses BOEM’s action to approve the COP  under section 8(p) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA; 43 U.S.C. § 1337(p)),  USACE’s  permitting  actions under section  10 of the River and Harbors Act of 1899 (RHA; 33 U.S.C. §  403) and section 404 of the Clean  Water Act (CWA; 33  U.S.C. §  1344), and NMFS’  action of issuing an Incidental Harassment  Authorization (IHA) to Vineyard Wind under  section 101(a)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C.  § 1371(a)(5)(D)). This  ROD was prepared following the requirements of the  National Environmental Policy Act  (NEPA; 42  U.S.C. §§ 4321-4370)  et seq.) and 40 C.F.R. parts 1500-1508.1 BOEM prepared the  “Vineyard Wind 1  Offshore  Wind Energy Project  FEIS with the assistance of a third-party contractor, Environmental Resources Management  Inc.  The USACE, NMFS, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the U.S.  Coast Guard (USCG),  and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) were  cooperating agencies during the development and review  of the document.  The  Narragansett  Indian  Tribe  was a cooperating tribal nation. Cooperating state agencies included  the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM), the Rhode  Island Coastal Resource Management Council  (RI  CRMC), and the Rhode  Island Department of Environmental Management.   The need  for  BOEM’s action is  to execute its duty to approve, approve  with modifications, or disapprove the COP. This action furthers  BOEM’s  responsibility  to make  Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy  resources  available for development  in an expeditious and orderly manner, subject to environmental  safeguards (43 U.S.C. § 1332(3)), including consideration of natural resources and existing ocean uses. This responsibility balances  different goals and does not hold one as controlling over  all others, consistent with the opinion  recently issued by the  Department of the  Interior  Solicitor, “Secretary’s  Duties under  Subsection 8(p)(4)  of the Outer  Continental Shelf Lands Act When Authorizing Activities on the Outer Continental Shelf”  (M- 37067)2.  M- 37067 provides that “subsection  8(p)(4) of OCSLA and similar statutes require only that  the Secretary strike  a rational  balance between Congress’s enumerated goals, i.e., a  variety of uses. In making this determination, the  Secretary retains wide discretion to weigh those goals  as an application of  her technical  expertise  and policy judgment...” M-37067, p. 2.     The FEIS  also analyzed impacts  resulting  from the proposed action that are relevant to  USACE permitting actions under  section 10 of the RHA and section 404 of the CWA, and NMFS’  action of issuing an IHA under the MMPA.

Volume I (All Volume I Sections in one Adobe PDF file)

• Table of Contents
• Section 1:  Project Overview
• Section 2:  Project Location Plat
• Section 3:  Project Structures and Facilities
• Section 4:  Project Activities
• Section 5:  Regulatory Framework
• Section 6:  Agency Contact and Stakeholder Coordination
• Section 7:  References and Incorporation by Reference
• Volume I Appendices (All Volume I Appendices in one Adobe PDF File)
  • Appendix I-A Draft Oil Spill Response Plan
  • Appendix I-B Draft Safety Management System
  • Appendix I-C Statement of Qualifications for Certified Verification Agent (CVA) Services
  • Appendix I-D CVA Scope of Work and Verification Plan
  • Appendix I-E Hierarchy of Standards

Volume II

Volume III

• Table of Contents
• Section 1:  Applicants Purpose and Need
• Section 2:  Project Summary
• Section 3:  Project Evolution
• Section 4:  Summary of Potential Benefits, Impacts, and Mitigation Measures
• Section 5:  Physical Resources
• Section 6:  Biological Resources
• Section 7:  Socioeconomic Resources
• Section 8:  Low Probability Events
• Section 9:  References
• Volume III Appendices 
  • Appendix III-A: Hydrodynamic and Sediment Dispersion Modeling Study
  • Appendix III-B: Air Emissions Calculations and Methodology
  • Appendix III-C: Avian Appendix
  • Appendix III-D: Benthic Habitat Monitoring Plan 
  • Appendix III-E: Fisheries Communication Plan
  • Appendix III-F: Essential Fish Habitat Impact Assessment
  • Appendix III-G: Preliminary Terrestrial Archaeology Resources Report and Permit Application
  • Appendix III-H.a: Vineyard Wind Project Visual Impact Assessment
  • Appendix III-H.b: Vineyard Wind Project Historic Properties Visual Impact Assessment
  • Appendix III-I: Navigational Risk Assessment
  • Appendix III-J: Aviation Impact Assessmen
  • Appendix III-K: Scour Potential Evaluation at Vineyard Wind
  • Appendix III-L: Proposed Vineyard Wind Offshore Wind Energy Project; Estimated Contribution to Employment and Economic Development
  • Appendix II-M: Supplemental Information or the Assessment of Potential Impacts to Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles During Construction, Operation and Decommissioning of the Vineyard Wind Project.
  • Appendix III-N: Frequency of Activation of an Aircraft Detection System Lighting System (ADLS) Report
  • Appendix III-O: Vineyard Wind Spring Tern Survey
  • Appendix III-P: Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification
  • Appendix III-Q: Community and Environmental Benefits of the Vineyard Wind Project
  • Appendix III-R: Proposed Mitigation to Facilitate East-West Fishing in the Wind Development Area