On April 25, 2023, BOEM announced the publication of the Gulf of Maine’s Call for Information and Nominations (Call). The Call invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The publication of the Call in the Federal Register on April 26, 2023, initiates a 45-day public comment period.
An interactive map of the Final Call Area can be found in the Energy & Infrastructure > Planning Areas category of the Data Explorer. The Final Call Area layer can be overlaid with any other layer in the Data Explorer, including the Gulf of Maine Request for Interest (RFI) Area, the Draft Call Area (published in January 2023), commercial fishing management areas, vessel traffic data, marine life data, and others. Additional static maps relevant to the Final Call Area and request for public comment are also provided on BOEM’s Gulf of Maine page.
BOEM will accept nominations and public comments through 11:59 p.m. ET on June 12, 2023. To submit comments electronically, visit: Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the search box at the top of the webpage, enter BOEM-2023-0025 and then click “search.” Follow the instructions to submit public comments and view supporting and related material.
After the public comment period closes, BOEM will review and analyze commercial nominations and public comments submitted in response to the Call. BOEM will also consider information from government and Tribal consultations, and the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force. BOEM will host the next Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting on May 10-11, 2023, at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. The purpose of the meeting is to update task force members and the public on BOEM’s commercial and research offshore wind energy planning activities and to discuss next steps for the Gulf of Maine, including a Call for Information and Nominations. More information about the meeting can be found through this page: Gulf of Maine Task Force Meeting – May 10-11, 2023.
