June 16, 2016 — The following was released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management:

On June 2, 2016, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper announced the proposed lease sale and Environmental Assessment (EA) for commercial wind energy leasing on 81,130 acres offshore New York.

BOEM will hold five public meetings in June to provide an overview of the EA findings regarding potential site assessment (e.g., placement of meteorological and oceanographic survey equipment), and site characterization surveys (e.g., cultural and natural resource surveys), and offer additional opportunities for public comments. The meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. in an open house format with a brief presentation starting around 6:30 p.m. The meetings will be held at the following locations:

Monday June 20, 2016

Long Branch Middle School (Auditorium)
404 Indiana Avenue

Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday June 21, 2016

Hofstra University (MPR Room)

900 Fulton Avenue

Hempstead, New York 11549
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Westhampton Beach Elementary School

379 Mill Road

Westhampton Beach, New York 11978
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus

Coastal Institute Building (Hazard Rooms A & B)

215 S Ferry Road

Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Waypoint Event Center at Fairfield Inn & Suites

Sea Loft Room

185 MacArthur Drive

New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

In addition to the EA meetings, BOEM will host an auction seminar in New York City to describe the auction format, explain the auction rules and demonstrate the auction process through meaningful examples. It will be followed by a public meeting on BOEM’s planning and leasing efforts regarding New York offshore wind energy activities. The public seminar and public meeting will be held at the following location:

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

TKP New York Conference Center, Empire A Room

109 W 39th St.

New York, NY 10018

Auction Seminar:12:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Public Meeting:    5:00 – 8:00 p.m. (with an overview presentation at 5:30 p.m.)

Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request. Please email your request to me as soon as possible via the address below (please request by June 22 for the June 29 auction seminar and public meeting). For more information about offshore wind planning efforts for New York go to http://www.boem.gov/New-York/.