Welcome to the New York Bight Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PEIS) Virtual Meeting Room. Your participation is an essential part of BOEM’s environmental review process.
On Jan. 8, 2024, BOEM announced the availability for the Draft PEIS for the expected offshore wind development in the six New York Bight lease areas, initiating a 45-day public comment period ending on Feb. 26, 2024. The following documents are available for viewing:
- Notice of Availability for New York Bight Draft PEIS (Docket No. BOEM-2024-0001)
- New York Bight Draft PEIS
Note: The public comment period has been extended through Mar. 13, 2024. See: https://www.boem.gov/newsroom/notes-stakeholders/boem-extends-public-comment-period-potential-development-wind-lease.
Public Meeting Schedule
During the public comment period ending on March 13, 2024, BOEM held three in-person and two virtual public meetings.
The in-person meetings were held on/at:
- Feb. 5, 2024, North Dartmouth, Mass.
- Feb. 7, 2024, Stony Brook, N.Y
- Feb. 8, 2024, Toms River, N.J.
The two virtual meetings were held on:
- Jan. 31, 2024
- Feb. 13, 2024
- Public Meetings Introductory Video
Your feedback is an essential part of this process. BOEM will accept comments on scope of the Draft PEIS through February 26, 2024, in any of the following ways:
- Oral or written comments during any of the public meetings listed in the Notice of Availability.
- You may submit written comments electronically via http://www.regulations.gov by searching for Docket No. BOEM-2024-0001 and clicking on “Comment.” Comments must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on February 26, 2024. See this Regulations.gov How-To Guide for more instructions on how to submit and view comments and answers to frequently asked questions.
- You may also submit written comments by mail. Enclose your comment in an envelope labeled “New York Bight Draft PEIS,” addressed to Chief, Division of Environmental Assessment, Office of Environmental Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, VAM-OEP, Sterling, VA 20166. Comments must be postmarked no later than February 26, 2024.
- After the public comment period ends, you can find the comments on http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2024-0001.
What is BOEM's mission?
BOEM is the bureau within the Department of the Interior that oversees the environmentally and economically responsible development of our energy and mineral resources on almost 2.5 billion acres of the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. All our activities are underlain by our robust environmental program, which ensures that we develop and use the best available science in our decision making.
We also consider public input to be a critical component of safe and responsible offshore resource management. We solicit public comments from a host of stakeholders and ocean users, including the fishing community, mariners, and coastal communities, in our environmental reviews and regulatory programs.
What is the process for finalizing BOEM’s decision on if any programmatic avoidance, minimization, mitigation and monitoring (AMMM) measures will be required as conditions of approval for New York Bight construction and operation plans (COPs)?
Following the comment period, BOEM will analyze all comments received during the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PEIS) public comment period and will prepare a Final PEIS. After the Final PEIS is published, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires BOEM to wait a minimum of 30 days before issuing a Record of Decision (ROD). For BOEM’s decision, the ROD will state whether BOEM will require any AMMM measures as conditions of approval for activities proposed by NY Bight developers in their COPs, unless site-specific analyses show that these measures are no longer warranted or effective. The ROD may also direct additional analysis of certain AMMM measures in the site-specific analysis to determine whether application is appropriate.
How can stakeholders comment on this Draft PEIS?
Your feedback is an essential part of this process. We are planning to hold both virtual and in-person public meetings. The public meetings are an opportunity for public involvement and an opportunity to provide comments on the Draft PEIS. BOEM will accept comments on the Draft PEIS through February 26, 2024, in any of the following ways:
- You may also submit written comments by mail. Enclose your comment in an envelope labeled “New York Bight Draft PEIS,” addressed to Chief, Division of Environmental Assessment, Office of Environmental Programs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, VAM-OEP, Sterling, VA 20166. Comments must be postmarked no later than February 26, 2024.
- Oral or written comments during any of the public meetings listed in the Notice of Availability.
- Through the regulations.gov web portal by navigating to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2024-0001. Click on the “Comment” button below the document link. Enter your information and comment, then click “Submit Comment.”
