DoI: Input for GoM wind projects

 The U.S. Department of the Interior (DoI) has announced three major milestones to advance commercial offshore wind energy development off the coasts of the Carolinas, Massachusetts and the Gulf of Mexico. DoI will propose a lease sale for wind energy development in the Carolina Long Bay area; initiate an environmental review of Mayflower Wind’s project offshore Massachusetts; and request information to further assess commercial interest in wind energy leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. The department is seeking public input on all three proposals. Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its review of a Construction and Operations Plan for the Vineyard (Mass.) Wind project earlier this year, and has 10 more underway. The administration is preparing for lease sales in the New York Bight and California in 2022 and is actively working with states, Tribes and stakeholders to explore wind potential offshore the Gulf of Maine, Oregon, Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. BOEM will publish a Call for Information and Nominations to further assess commercial interest in, and invite public comment on, possible commercial wind energy leasing in a proposed area in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The Call will publish in the Federal Register on Nov. 1, which will trigger a 45-day period for public comment and submissions indicating interest in commercial leasing, ending on 10:59 p.m. CT on Dec. 16. The Call Area consists of almost 30M acres west of the Mississippi River to the Texas/Mexico border. (Source: Work Boat 10/28/21) Interior Department to advance offshore wind in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico | WorkBoat