In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today issued a Record of Decision identifying environmental measures expected to be applied to future wind energy development of the six lease areas offshore New York and New Jersey in an area known as the New York Bight.
BOEM estimates that full development of the six lease areas could generate up to 7 GW of offshore wind energy, enough to power up to two million homes. This decision follows BOEM’s announcement of the New York Bight Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on October 21, 2024. The six lease areas cover over 488,000 acres.
"As we always commit to do, as part of our environmental review, BOEM engaged with Tribes, federal and state agencies, local communities, ocean users, and key stakeholders and reflected their feedback in our Record of Decision," said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. "Their valuable input will assist offshore wind energy developers in taking environmental impacts into account in their project plans. Our regional approach will also create a solid groundwork for future environmental reviews of offshore wind projects in the New York Bight."
Today’s record of decision identifies 58 previously applied avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and monitoring (AMMM) measures BOEM plans to apply across the six lease areas. To reduce potential environmental impacts, developers can consider these measures in the Construction and Operations Plans they submit to BOEM for subsequent review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Project-specific environmental reviews may include revised, additional, or different AMMM measures if needed to further reduce potential impacts.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has approved more than 15 GW of clean energy from ten offshore wind projects, enough to power nearly 5.25 million homes. It has also held six offshore wind lease auctions, including the record-breaking New York Bight sale offshore New York and New Jersey and the first-ever sales in the Gulf of Maine and offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
The “Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision for Expected Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight” will be published in the Federal Register on December 6, 2024. For further information, please visit BOEM’s website.