The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in late April published its Gulf of Maine Call for Information and Nominations (Call). This Call invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The Call is an early step in the leasing process and the first required by BOEM regulations.
“BOEM is committed to transparent, inclusive and data-driven processes, and public input is essential to helping us determine areas that may be suitable for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We are still early in the planning and leasing process, and we look forward to the multiple future opportunities for engagement.”
The Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task force will be meeting to discuss BOEM's planning activities on May 10 & 11 in Bangor. Comments are due on June 12.
BOEM published the Call for Information and Nominations in the Federal Register on April 26. Publication starts a a 45-day public comment period. BOEM will accept nominations and comments through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 12, 2023.
After the public comment period closes, BOEM will review and analyze commercial nominations and public comments as well as information from government and Tribal consultations and the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force.
In August 2022, the Department of the Interior announced a “Request for Interest” (RFI) to gauge whether commercial interest existed in obtaining wind energy leases within an area in the Gulf of Maine comprising about 13.7 million acres. BOEM hosted a series of information exchanges on the draft Call Area from January-February 2023 to get feedback from Tribes, states, existing ocean users, and the general public.
The final Call Area, as detailed in the Federal Register, reduces the RFI area by nearly 30% to 9.8 million acres. In the final Call Area, BOEM removed approximately 160,000 acres from future consideration to avoid Georges Bank.
The chart above shows the final Call area in green and areas for additional analysis, such as Platts Bank and LMA1.
BOEM has identified four areas that BOEM specifically seeks public input on during this next phase of review, including: Lobster Management Area I, Platts Bank, Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Restricted Areas, and Georges Bank (the area immediately adjacent along the southern boundary of the Call Area). This is not an exhaustive list; however, it represents the areas that were most commented on in the most recent public engagement.
BOEM aims to address and better understand any concerns from the public and encourages input and feedback to help inform its decision-making. It will host its third Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting May 10 and 11 in Bangor, Maine. The purpose of the meeting is to update Task Force members and the public on BOEM’s commercial and research offshore wind energy planning activities and to discuss next steps for the Gulf of Maine. Additional information can be found at boem.gov/Gulf-of-Maine.
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