The Department’s issuance of new policies for offshore wind project reviews requires BOEM to integrate revised procedures into the NEPA process for the Vineyard Mid-Atlantic EIS. These new policies include, but are not limited to:
- Additional time for coordination with cooperating and consulting agencies.
- The Department’s action supports Secretary’s Order 3437 (July 29, 2025), “Ending Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources in Department Decision-Making,” Secretary’s Order 3438 (August 1, 2025), “Managing Federal Energy Resources and Protecting the Environment,” and the Presidential Memorandum on wind energy signed on January 20, 2025.
- Enhanced evaluation of energy density and land-use efficiency in alternatives analysis;
- Secretary’s Order 3438 – Managing Federal Energy Resources and Protecting the Environment, Executive Order 14315 and SO 3437, which aim to eliminate preferential treatment for low-density, foreign-controlled energy sources
- Updated guidance on cumulative impacts and regional energy trade-offs;
- Secretary’s Order 3438 and the Presidential Memorandum on wind energy
The implementation of the above-mentioned policies is essential to ensure that development of the EIS is consistent with current legal and policy frameworks, and requires additional time for intra-agency coordination, stakeholder engagement, and technical analysis. These contributing factors have resulted in a 180-day delay to the development of the EIS. Therefore, the NEPA milestone dates have shifted 180-days as detailed in the table below.
Milestones:
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
03/29/2028
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Renewable Energy Production
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
View FAST-41 Postings by Agencies
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers - Regulatory
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers - Civil Works
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Description:
Vineyard Mid-Atlantic LLC (the “Project Sponsor”) proposes to develop, construct, and operate an offshore renewable wind energy facility in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Lease Area Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)-A 0544. OCS-A 0544 is located approximately 38 kilometers (24 miles) offshore from Fire Island, New York. The Project would include a total of 118 wind turbine generators and offshore export cables routed to landfall sites in Long Island, New York to connect to onshore transmission systems in Nassau County, Suffolk County, and/or Queens County, New York.
Original Target Date: 06/01/2027
Milestone: Issuance of Lead Agency Record of Decision (Agency Action)
Requested extensions greater than 30 days for this Action are shown below:
Issuance of Lead Agency Record of Decision (Agency Action) extended by 181
From: 06/01/2027
To: 11/29/2027