Notice of Availability of a Joint Record of Decision for the Proposed Empire Offshore Wind Projects

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The BOEM announces the availability of the joint ROD for the construction and operations plan (COP) submitted by Empire Wind, LLC (Empire Wind) for its proposed Empire Wind Offshore Wind Farm Projects (Projects) offshore New York. The final environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Projects as described in the COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the proposed action. The joint ROD includes the decision of the Department of the Interior (DOI) regarding the COP, and the decision of NMFS regarding Empire Wind's requested incidental take regulations (ITR) and an associated letter of authorization (LOA) under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). NMFS has adopted the final EIS to support its decision of whether to issue the requested ITR. The joint ROD concludes the National Environmental Policy Act process for each agency.