The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalised an environmental review for six wind lease areas in the New York Bight, which could lead to the generation of 7GW of offshore wind energy.

The development aligns with the Biden-Harris administration's objective to deploy 30GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

Covering 488,000 acres offshore New York and New Jersey, the lease areas have the potential to power two million homes.

The review, known as a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS), identifies measures to avoid, minimise, mitigate and monitor environmental impacts.

The auction of the lease areas in February 2022 raised more than $4.3bn, marking a record for US offshore energy lease sales.

The PEIS is a regional analysis across multiple lease areas, a first for BOEM, and will guide future project-specific environmental assessments.

Public engagement, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, played a crucial role in the process.

BOEM held public meetings and environmental justice forums to gather input, which informed the final PEIS. The document analyses 58 previously applied measures and eight new ones to reduce environmental impacts.

The final PEIS, detailing the environmental impact of expected wind energy development in the New York Bight, will be published in the Federal Register on 25 October 2024.

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein stated: “BOEM has collected input from Tribes, federal and state government agencies, local communities, ocean users and key stakeholders as part of our comprehensive environmental review.

“We appreciate the feedback we have received, and we believe our regional approach will provide a solid baseline for future environmental reviews for any proposed offshore wind projects in the New York Bight.”

In September 2024, BOEM decided to delay the scheduled auction for offshore wind energy leases offshore Oregon, citing insufficient bidder interest.