boem – Pacific Maritime Magazine

30 Jan

BOEM to Hold Meetings on California Offshore Wind Development

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, offshorewind, osw

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has scheduled two meetings to gather feedback on the possible environmental effects associated with future offshore wind lease development off the California coast. Both meetings are to take place virtually. The first meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on Feb. 6 (Registration Link). The second meeting is set for 5 p.m. PT on Feb. 8 (Registration Link). BOEM, which is managing federal oversight authority on two leases in Northern California off Humboldt County and three in Central California near Morro Bay, is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, a document that looks at…

09 Dec

BOEM’s Wind Energy Auction for Five Leases Off California Announced

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, offshorewind

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s wind energy auction for five leases off the California coast yielded “competitive high bids totaling $757.1 million from five companies,” the Department of the Interior announced Dec. 7. A first for the region, the sale of five lease areas encompassing 373,268 acres off Central and Northern California surpassed the initial lease sales that took place in the Atlantic region, the department said. The five companies and their bids are:   Lease Area  Acres  High Bid  RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC  OCS-P 0561  63,338 $157,700,000 California North Floating,…

26 Aug

BOEM to Host Meetings on Proposed 5-Year Offshore Oil, Gas Leasing Program

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, offshoregas, offshoreoil

The public has the chance to weigh in on a proposed five-year program for offshore oil and gas leasing through a series of virtual meetings hosted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. In July, the Department of the Interior opened for public comment the proposed 2023-2028 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the 2023-2028 Program. The next set of meetings, set for 4-7 pm PT on Aug. 29 and 5-8 pm PT on Aug. 31, allow the public to talk to BOEM staff members about the two documents…

13 May

Deadline Nears to Provide Input on Morro Bay Wind Energy Assessment

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, morrobay, windenergy

May 16 is the last day for the public to weigh in on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s draft environmental assessment focusing on the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, which is being looked at as a possible area for offshore wind energy development projects. According to BOEM, the environmental assessment examines the “potential environmental impacts associated with issuing future commercial wind leases, including site characterization and site assessment activities” in the area located about 20 miles off San Luis Obispo County in California’s Central Coast. “Public comments and input are critical in informing BOEM's decision-making process,” the Bureau said…

06 May

BOEM Completes Humboldt Wind Energy Area Environ Review

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, windenergy

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced May 5 that its environmental analysis of possible impacts from offshore wind energy leasing within the Humboldt Wind Energy Area 20 miles off the Northern California coast determined no significant impact. The newly completed Environmental Assessment looked at the area encompassing 206.8 square miles, which could generate as much as 1.6 GW of clean energy and power roughly 560,000 homes “The completion of this Environmental Assessment represents an important step forward for ensuring that any future renewable energy development – should a lease sale occur -- is done in a responsible manner,” said…

08 Apr

BOEM Seeks Input on Draft Wind Energy Area Assessment

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, morrobay, windenergy

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is seeking public input on a draft environmental assessment regarding an area near Morro Bay, California under consideration for offshore wind development. The draft released this week by the Bureau delves into the possible effects of future commercial leasing and other “site characterization and assessment activities” within the area, which is about 20 miles off the central California coast and encompasses about 240,898 acres or 376 square miles. The area, if developed, could generate up to three gigawatts of clean energy and power over a million homes, according to BOEM. “Before approving the construction…