Mayflower Wind

BOEM kicked off the environmental review process November 1, 2021, with the publication of a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Mayflower Wind Energy’s construction and operations plan.  The documents are available for viewing under the Construction & Operations tab above.

The publication in the Federal Register opened a 30-day comment, or scoping, period during which the public may identify information that the Environmental Impact Statement should consider.   

Three virtual public meetings were held during the scoping period at the following dates and times (Eastern):

• Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 5:00 pm EST
• Monday, November 15, 2021, 1:00 pm EST
• Thursday, November 18, 2021, 5:00 pm EST

Comments may be submitted electronically via regulations.gov by searching for Docket No. BOEM-2021-0062 and clicking “Comment.”

Comments may also be submitted by mail with envelopes labeled “MAYFLOWER WIND COP EIS” and addressed to Program Manager, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Renewable Energy, 45600 Woodland Road (VAM-OREP), Sterling, Virginia 20166. Comments must be received or postmarked no later than Dec. 1, 2021. BOEM does not consider anonymous comments. Please include your name and address as part of your submittal. All comments submitted will be made part of the public record and will be posted publicly without change.

For more information, please see: https://www.boem.gov/Mayflower-Wind-Scoping-Virtual-Meetings.

Schedule for the Decision-making Process

After the draft EIS is completed, BOEM will publish a notice of availability (NOA) and request public comments on the draft EIS.  BOEM currently expects to issue the NOA in January 2023.  After the public comment period ends, BOEM will review and respond to comments received and will develop the final EIS.  BOEM currently expects to make the final EIS available to the public in September 2023.  A Record of Decision (ROD) will be completed no sooner than 30 days after the final EIS is released, in accordance with 40 CFR 1506.11.

This project is a “covered project” under section 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41).  FAST-41 provides increased transparency and predictability by requiring Federal agencies to publish comprehensive permitting timetables for all covered projects.  FAST-41 also provides procedures for modifying permitting timetables to address the unpredictability inherent in the environmental review and permitting process for significant infrastructure projects.  To view the FAST-41 Permitting Dashboard for the Project, visit: www.permits.performance.gov/permitting-project/mayflower-wind-energy-project.

For information on the Mayflower Wind Project and BOEM’s process associated with this notice, contact Genevieve Brune, Environment Branch for Renewable Energy, BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166, (703) 787-1553 or genevieve.brune@boem.gov.

Mayflower Wind Energy LLC (OCS-A 0521)

Commercial Lease

On December 13-14, 2018, BOEM held a competitive lease sale (i.e., auction) for Wind Energy Areas offshore Massachusetts. The auction lasted 32 rounds. Equinor Wind US, LLC was identified as the winner of Lease Area OCS-A 0520 (128,811 acres), Mayflower Wind Energy, LLC was identified as the winner of Lease Area OCS-A 0521 (127,388 acres), and Vineyard Wind, LLC was identified as the winner of Lease Area OCS-A 0522 (132,370 acres).

The commercial wind energy lease OCS-A 0521 was by BOEM on March 26, 2019, and went into effect on April 1, 2019. The executed lease for OCS-A 0521 is available below.

• Lease OCS-A 0521

A complete Site Assessment Plan (SAP) was submitted by Mayflower Wind Energy LLC to BOEM for meteorological evaluations and site assessment on December 12, 2019. BOEM approved the SAP on May 26, 2020. The plan details the methods and procedures Mayflower Wind Energy LLC will use to collect and analyze meteorological and oceanographic data and information on the conditions of the marine environment within its commercial lease. Data collection will be performed using a meteorological buoy. For additional information, please find the submitted SAP below:

• Site Assessment Plan for Lease OCS-A 0521

• Mayflower COP Volume I
• Mayflower COP Volume II
   
• Appendix A - Agency Correspondence
• Appendix B - Certified Verification Agent - Confidential  
• Appendix C - Conceptual Project Design Drawings 
• Appendix D1 - Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification – Falmouth POI 
• Appendix D2 - Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification – Brayton Point POI  
• Appendix D3 - Rhode Island Coastal Zone Management Act Consistency Certification – Brayton Point POI 
• Appendix E - Marine Site Investigation Report - Confidential
• Appendix F1 - Sediment Plume Impacts from Construction Activities    
• Appendix F2 - Scour Potential Impacts from Operational Phase and Post-Construction Infrastructure   
• Appendix F3 - Brayton Point Export Cable Hydrodynamic and Sediment Dispersion Model Report (pending)
• Appendix G - Air Emissions Report - Confidential
• Appendix H - Water Quality Report    
• Appendix I1 - Avian Exposure Risk Assessment    
• Appendix I2 - Bat Risk Assessment   
• Appendix J - Terrestrial Vegetation and Wildlife Assessment Report  
• Appendix K - Seagrass and Macroalgae Report   
• Appendix L1 - Offshore Designated Protected Areas Report    
• Appendix L2 - Onshore Protected Lands Report    
• Appendix M - Benthic and Shellfish Resources Characterization Report
• Appendix N - Essential Fish Habitat and Protected Fish Species Assessment
• Appendix O - Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Monitoring and Mitigation Plan    
• Appendix P1 - Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Assessment for the Proposed Mayflower Wind Project    
• Appendix P2 - High Voltage Direct Current Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Assessment    
• Appendix Q - Marine Archaeological Resources Assessment - Confidential
• Appendix R - Terrestrial Archaeological Resources Assessment - Confidential
• Appendix S - Analysis of Visual Effects to Historic Properties
• Appendix T - Visual Impact Assessment
• Appendix T1 - Cape Cod Onshore Simulations
• Appendix T2 - Martha's Vineyard Simulations
• Appendix T3 - Nantucket Simulations
• Appendix U1 - In-Air Acoustic Assessment Report
• Appendix U2 - Underwater Acoustic Modeling of Construction Sound and Animal Exposure Estimation
• Appendix V - Commercial and Recreational Fisheries and Fishing Activity Technical Report
• Appendix W - Fisheries Communication Plan
• Appendix X - Navigation Safety Risk Assessment
• Appendix Y1 - Obstruction Evaluation & Airspace Analysis
• Appendix Y2 - Air Traffic Flow Analysis
• Appendix Y3 - Aircraft Detection Lighting System Efficacy Analysis
• Appendix Y4 - Radar and Navigational Aid Screening Study
• Appendix Z - Safety Management System - Confidential
• Appendix AA - Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP)
• Appendix BB - Economic Development Report - Confidential