The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Vitality Administration (BOEM) on Thursday recognized a Draft Wind Vitality Space (WEA) within the Gulf of Maine, opening a 30-day public assessment and remark interval.
The Draft WEA covers roughly 3,519,067 acres offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, starting from roughly 23 – 120 miles off the coast.
“BOEM will proceed to prioritize a strong and clear planning course of, together with engagement with Tribal governments, federal and state businesses, the fishing group and different ocean customers,” mentioned BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “BOEM strives to attenuate potential impacts and can proceed working laborious to finalize offshore areas which have sturdy useful resource potential and the fewest environmental and consumer conflicts.”
Based on BOEM, the Gulf of Maine has vital alternatives for offshore wind power improvement, which is able to create good-paying jobs and new financial exercise, and as a result of deep waters throughout the Gulf of Maine, these areas are additionally a chance “to speed up U.S. management in floating applied sciences.”
The Draft WEA introduced Thursday has a capability of over 40 GW, which exceeds the present mixed offshore wind power planning targets for the Gulf of Maine states: 10 GW for Massachusetts and three GW for Maine.
Future changes to the Draft WEA will seemingly be made after incorporating suggestions through the remark interval, whereas striving to retain enough space to satisfy the Gulf of Maine states’ planning targets, BOEM mentioned.
“To determine the Draft WEA, BOEM labored collaboratively with the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Nationwide Facilities for Coastal Ocean Science to develop an ocean planning mannequin that identifies and minimizes conflicts with coastal and marine sources and ocean customers. BOEM additionally met with and included suggestions from Tribes, fishers, and the general public to refine the mannequin and inform the potential offshore areas that seem best suited for floating offshore wind power improvement,” BOEM mentioned.
Based on BOEM, the Draft WEA avoids Lobster Administration Space 1 and all North Atlantic Proper Whale Restricted Areas and in addition avoids different essential fishing areas and habitats, together with essential groundfish areas east of the Western Gulf of Maine Closure and throughout the 10-kilometer buffer from Georges Financial institution, Platts Financial institution, Parker Ridge, and Three Dory Ridge.
In response to preliminary conversations with Tribal Nations positioned inside Maine, BOEM mentioned that the Draft WEA strived to keep away from a majority of the historic and current fishing grounds of these Tribes.
“BOEM will proceed to seek the advice of with all Tribal Nations and different stakeholders who’ve an curiosity within the area to know their issues with potential offshore wind power improvement and reduce conflicts. BOEM additionally seeks feedback on whether or not so as to add all or components of three secondary areas that have been recognized for extra evaluation however not a part of the Draft WEA,” BOEM mentioned.
Credit score: BOEM
