Commercial Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and SiteAssessment Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, Humboldt Wind Energy Area, California

Commercial Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and SiteAssessment Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, Humboldt Wind Energy Area, California

The purpose of the Proposed Action is to issue up to 3 commercial renewable energy leases within the WEAs and grant rights-of-way (ROWs) and rights-of-use and easement (RUEs) in the region of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of northern California. BOEM’s issuance of these leases and granting of ROWs and RUEs is needed to: (a) confer the exclusive right to submit Site Assessment Plans (SAPs) to BOEM for potential development such that the lessees and grantees develop plans for BOEM’s review and will commit to site assessment and site characterization activities necessary to determine the suitability of their leases, easements, and ROWs for commercial offshore wind production and/or transmission; and (b) ensure that site assessment and site characterization activities are conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. The issuance of a lease by BOEM to the lessee conveys no right to proceed with development of a wind energy facility; the lessee acquires only the exclusive right to submit a plan to conduct this activity. The boundary of the Humboldt WEA begins 34 kilometers (km, 21 miles (mi)) offshore the city of Eureka, measures 45 km (28 mi) north to south and 23 km (14 mi) east to west, totaling approximately 132,368 acres (ac) (206 square miles (mi2)). Water depths across the WEA range from approximately 500 to 1,100 meters ((m) 1,640–3,609 feet (ft)).

Eureka

Humboldt

Northern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Habitat Conservation Planning (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northern and Eureka Region 1 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 1 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Energy Commission, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region 1 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality

Other (Offshore Wind Energy Area)

Lease

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Economics/Jobs, Energy, Hydrology/Water Quality, Noise, Recreation, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Marine and Coastal Habitat