Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it will initiate an environmental review of Vineyard Mid-Atlantic’s proposed offshore wind energy project, located in the federal waters offshore New York and New Jersey.
The Vineyard Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind project is in one of the six lease areas within the New York Bight Wind Energy Area, and as proposed would generate over 2,000 megawatts of electricity from up to 117 wind turbines, enough to power more than 700,000 homes. The proposal includes up to two potential export cable corridors that would make landfall at Rockaway Beach, Atlantic Beach, or Jones Beach, New York.
On January 15, BOEM will publish a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submitted by Vineyard Mid-Atlantic, LLC. This is the 14th COP review initiated under the Biden-Harris administration.
"Our environmental reviews are essential for helping us identify, evaluate, and address the possible impacts of our renewable energy efforts on other uses of the offshore environment and marine ecosystems,” said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein. "Continued engagement with Tribes, local communities, ocean users, and others is critical for ensuring future decisions are well-informed."
The 43,056-acre lease area is located in federal waters approximately, 20 miles offshore New York and 36 miles offshore New Jersey. See BOEM’s website for a map of the lease area.
Public Meetings and Comment Period
The publication of the NOI in the Federal Register on Jan. 15, 2025, will open a 45-day public comment period, ending at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 1, 2025. During the public comment period, BOEM will hold three virtual public meetings on the following dates and times. All times are Eastern.
Virtual meetings: (Registration is required)
- Thursday, Feb. 6. at 5 p.m. ET
Meeting Registration Link (sign up to attend) - Tuesday, Feb. 11. at 5 p.m. ET
Meeting Registration Link (sign up to attend) - Wednesday, Feb. 19. at 1 p.m.
Meeting Registration Link (sign up to attend)
Registration for the virtual public meetings and detailed information about the proposed wind energy project, including how to comment, can be found on BOEM’s website.
Next Steps
Throughout the scoping process, multiple opportunities exist to help BOEM determine the important resources and issues, impact-producing factors, reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigating measures that should be analyzed in the EIS.
-- BOEM --
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.