Zasoby i środowisko · 18.08.2011

Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Characterization Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts

This notice is being published as an initial step for the purpose of involving Federal agencies, states, tribes, local government, offshore wind energy developers, and the public in the Department of the Interior's (DOI) "Smart from the Start" wind energy initiative. The purpose of the "Smart from the Start" wind energy initiative is to identify areas that may be most suitable for wind energy leasing on the OCS, and to obtain public and expert input that will inform the Department's decisionmaking with regard to issuing leases and approving site assessment activities in these areas, in accordance with the DOI and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). On November 23, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the "Smart from the Start" renewable energy initiative to accelerate the responsible development of renewable energy resources on the Atlantic OCS. The initiative focuses on the identification and refinement of areas on the OCS that are most suitable for renewable energy development (Wind Energy Areas (WEAs)), and utilizes coordina