Abstract
The Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law No. 109-58, added Section 8(p)(1)(C) to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which grants the Secretary of the Interior the authority to issue leases, easements, or rights-of-way on the OCS for the purpose of renewable energy development (43 U.S.C. § 1337(p)(1)(C)). The Secretary delegated this authority to the former Minerals Management Service (MMS), now BOEM. On April 22, 2009, BOEM (formerly the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement [BOEMRE]) promulgated final regulations implementing this authority at 30 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 585.
Revolution Wind (the Applicant) has submitted the draft COP for the RWF and RWEC to BOEM for review and approval. Consistent with the requirements of 30 CFR 585.620 to 585.638, COP submittal occurs after BOEM grants a lease for the proposed project and the Applicant completes all studies and surveys defined in their site assessment plan. BOEM’s renewable energy development process is described in the following section. The Applicant is working with BOEM to address additional information needs to finalize the COP. This BA relies on the most current information available for the Project.