November 16, 2021 — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management dropped a figurative bomb on the fishing industry Friday, when it announced an offshore wind energy site off California.
The announcement of a Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, smaller than the “399 Call Area,” on Friday came as a surprise to the seafood industry. Two days earlier, BOEM representatives met with the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Marine Planning Committee and gave no hint an announcement was imminent.
The WEA is located approximately 20 miles offshore the central California coastline and contains approximately 240,898 acres, or 376 square miles, BOEM said in the announcement.
BOEM will now prepare an Environmental Assessment, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act, to consider potential impacts from site characterization activities (e.g., biological, archeological, geological, and geophysical surveys) and site assessment activities (e.g., installation of meteorological buoys) within the WEA. BOEM’s preparation of the EA will initiate a public comment period along with two virtual public meetings, BOEM said.
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