BOEM's mission is to facilitate the responsible development of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf through conscientious planning, stakeholder engagement, comprehensive environmental analysis, and sound technical review. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the development of regulations for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy Program. This regulatory framework establishes a process for environmental review of proposed offshore wind projects. Each project is subject to a review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Consultation is also conducted under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
In support of the NEPA process, BOEM is developing white papers to provide detailed discussions of topics raised. These papers will be summarized and incorporated by in BOEM's offshore renewable energy NEPA documents.
Below you will find links to completed Environmental Assessments (EAs) in support of leasing and Environmental Impact Statement (EISs) in support of plan approval, white papers on technical and environmental topics, and modeling tools.
Environmental Assessments in Support of Leasing
- Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Final Environmental Assessment (Feb. 3, 2012)
- Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Massachusetts Revised Environmental Assessment (Jun, 2014)
- Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts Revised Environmental Assessment (Jun. 4, 2013)
- Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Virginia Revised Environmental Assessment (Sep. 29, 2015)
- Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New York Revised Environmental Assessment (Oct 31, 2016)
- Commercial and Research Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf of the New York Bight (Dec 16, 2021)
- Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore North Carolina Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment (Mar. 25, 2022)
Environmental Impact Statements in Support of Project Approvals
- Cape Wind Cape Wind Energy Project NEPA documentation (EIS published January 21, 2009)
- Vineyard Wind 1 Offshore Wind Energy Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (March 12, 2021)
- South Fork Wind
- Ocean Wind 1
- Ocean Wind 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (May 26, 2023)
- Ocean Wind 1 Construction and Operations Plan Record of Decision (July 3, 2023)
- Revolution Wind
- Revolution Wind Final Environmental Impact Statement (July 17, 2023)
- Revolution Wind Construction and Operations Plan Record of Decision (August 21, 2023)
- Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial
- CVOW-C Final Environmental Impact Statement (September 29, 2023)
- CVOW-C Construction and Operations Plan Record of Decision (October 30, 2023)
- Empire Wind
- Empire Wind Final Environmental Impact Statement (September 15, 2023)
BOEM has developed white papers that provide more detailed information about topics presented in NEPA documents. The white papers are summarized in the NEPA documents and incorporated by reference.
Cumulative
White papers that discuss methodology for assessing cumulative impacts
Impact Producing Factors
White papers that discuss activities that produce impacts
Benefits - Evaluating Benefits of Offshore Wind Energy Projects in NEPA (2017)
Cable Heat - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Heat from Buried Transmission Cables (2023)
Decommissioning - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Decommissioning Offshore Wind Facilities (2023)
Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) - Evaluation of Potential EMF Effects on Fish Species of Commercial or Recreational Fishing Importance in Southern New England (2019)
Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) Onshore - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Electromagnetic Frequencies from Buried Transmission Cables (2023) (Revised: April 2023)
Foundations - Comparison of Environmental Effects from Different Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations (2021)
Glauconite Sand - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Glauconite Sand (2023)
High Voltage Direct Current Cooling Systems - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to High Voltage Direct Current Cooling Systems (2022)
Microclimates - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Microclimates (2022)
Sea Level Rise - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Storm Surge and Sea Level Rise (2023)
Sound - Improving Efficiencies of National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Facilities - Case Studies Report (2017)
Storm Events - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Storm Events (2022)
Unexploded Ordinance - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Munitions and Explosives of Concern and Unexploded Ordinances (2022)
Resources
White papers that discuss resources analyzed in NEPA documents
Aquifers - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related Offshore Aquifers (2023)
Avian - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Avian Species Research (2022)
Benthic Habitats, Marine Mammals - Improving Efficiencies of National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Facilities - Case Studies Report (2017)
Coastal Land Use - Coastal Land Use in the Atlantic Region: General Social and Economic Baseline Information for Environmental Impact Statements (2022)
Navigation - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Navigation (2019)
- Offshore Wind Energy Facilities Emission Estimating Tool Version 2.0 (2017)
- A Parametric Analysis and Sensitivity Study of the Acoustic Propagation for Renewable Energy (2020)
- Optimization of Towed Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Array Design and Performance Study (Passive Acoustic Monitoring Study) (2021)
- Risk Assessment to Model Encounter Rates between Large Whales and Vessel Traffic from Offshore Wind Energy on the Atlantic OCS (2021)
- Vessel Risk Calculator - Graphical User Interface User’s Manual
- Vessel Risk Calculator