STATEMENT BY LONG ISLAND-NEW YORK CITY OFFSHORE WIND COLLABORATIVE
ON FEDERAL REQUEST FOR PUBLIC INPUT ON LEASE APPLICATION OFF THE
COAST OF ROCKAWAYS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
BACKGROUND:
On Thursday, January 3, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), part of the U.S.
Department of Interior, issued a request to determine whether there is competitive interest in wind power
development in federal waters off the coast of the Rockaway Peninsula and Long Island. BOEM’s
request is an important step forward for the Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative
(Collaborative) in seeking a lease for its proposal to construct an offshore wind project at that location.
The Collaborative consists of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, the Long Island Power
Authority and the New York Power Authority.
STATEMENT BY THE COLLABORATIVE:
“Offshore wind power offers clean energy benefits to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
responsible for global warming and climate change, issues identified by Governor Andrew M.
Cuomo as important concerns when planning future energy projects. Information gathered from
the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management lease application review process and the efforts to be
undertaken through the Energy Highway Blueprint, will help advance the potential of offshore
wind as a clean energy source, while seeking to address its economic and environmental
challenges.
“The Collaborative looks forward to the input the Bureau is expected to receive from interested
parties to its Request for Information. This includes the possibility of submissions from others
who might have a competitive interest in obtaining a commercial lease for wind development at
the proposed site.”
The BOEM Request for Information is available for download at:
https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection#regular-filing-ocean-energy-management-bureau
(“Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New York”). It was
published in the Federal Register on Jan. 4. There is a 60-day public comment period for the RFI.
When BOEM’s review is completed, the agency will determine whether competitive interest in the lease
area exists. If there is such interest, BOEM will use an auction(s) to award lease(s) under its competitive
lease process.
If BOEM decides there is no competitive interest, it will publish that in the Federal Register. Then
BOEM may decide to proceed with the noncompetitive lease issuance process and if so, the
Collaborative must submit any required plan(s) within 60 days of the aforementioned notice in the
Federal Register.
The Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative submitted its application to BOEM in
September 2011 for a location 13 to 17 miles off the coast of the Rockaway Peninsula and Long Island.
In June 2012, following BOEM’s recommendation to increase the size of the lease site’s shipping lane
buffer to one nautical mile, the lease was amended to add additional lease blocks for those lost to the
increased buffer.
BOEM has since established that legal, technical and financial lease-holder qualifications have been met
by the Collaborative. The full lease application and amendment can be found at
http://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/State-Activities/New-York.aspx.
The Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Project is noted in Governor Cuomo’s Energy Highway
Blueprint as one of the opportunities to strengthen New York’s position in developing offshore wind.
The Blueprint is available at www.nyenergyhighway.com.
The Clean Tech Center
