On July 20, the Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy (BOEM) is seeking public input on the identification of two potential wind energy areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
The original 30-day comment period -- scheduled to end on August 19 -- has now been extended by 15 calendar days to September 2, 2022, in response to stakeholder requests, and to provide more time for comments from all interested parties. The first potential WEA is located approximately 24 nautical miles (nm) off the coast of Galveston, TX, covers a total of 546,645 acres, and has the potential to power 2.3 million homes with clean wind energy. The second potential WEA is located approximately 56 nm off the coast of Lake Charles, LA, covers a total of 188,023 acres, and has the potential to power nearly 800,000 homes.
BOEM is also extending the comment period by 15 calendar days to September 2, 2022, on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) covering the entire Call Area to consider the potential impacts from site characterization (e.g., marine mammal surveys) and site assessment (e.g., installation of meteorological buoys), activities expected to take place following lease issuance.
