Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Guam Outer Continental Shelf-Call for Information and Nominations, 663-669 [2024-31231]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 3 (Monday, January 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 663-669]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-31231]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2024-0061]


Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Guam Outer 
Continental Shelf--Call for Information and Nominations

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Call for information and nominations; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This call for information and nominations (Call or notice) 
invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible 
commercial wind energy leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 
offshore Guam as part of planning for commercial leasing in the region. 
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will consider information 
received in response to this Call to determine whether to schedule a 
competitive lease sale or to issue a noncompetitive lease for any 
portion of the area described in this Call (Call Area). Those 
interested in providing comments or information regarding site 
conditions, resources, and multiple uses in close proximity to or 
within the Call Area should provide the information requested in 
section 8, ``Requested Information from Interested or Affected 
Parties,'' under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION heading of this Call.
    Those interested in leasing within the Call Area for a commercial 
wind energy project should provide the information described in section 
9, ``Required Nomination Information.'' BOEM may or may not offer a 
lease for a commercial offshore wind energy project within the Call 
Area after further consultations, public participation, and 
environmental analyses.

DATES: BOEM must receive your interest in or comments on commercial 
leasing within the Call Area no later than April 7, 2025. BOEM may not 
consider late submissions.

ADDRESSES: Please submit nomination information for commercial leasing 
as discussed in section 9, entitled, ``Required Nomination 
Information,'' electronically via email to [email protected] 
or by hard copy by mail to the following address: Bureau of Ocean 
Energy Management, Pacific Region, Office of Strategic Resources, 760 
Paseo Camarillo (CM 102), Camarillo, California 93010. If you elect to 
mail a hard copy, also include an electronic copy on a portable storage 
device. Do not submit nominations via the Federal

[[Page 664]]

eRulemaking Portal. BOEM will list the qualified parties that submitted 
nominations and the aggregated locations of nominated areas on its 
website after review of the nominations.
    Please submit all other comments and information by either of the 
following two methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the 
search box at the top of the web page, enter BOEM-2024-0061 and then 
click ``search.'' Follow the instructions to submit public comments and 
to view supporting and related materials.
    2. By mail to the following address: Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management, Pacific Region, Office of Strategic Resources, 760 Paseo 
Camarillo (CM 102), Camarillo, California 93010.
    Treatment of confidential information is addressed in section 10 of 
this notice entitled, ``Protection of Privileged, Personal, or 
Confidential Information.'' BOEM will post all comments received on 
regulations.gov unless labeled as confidential.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deanna Meier, Renewable Energy 
Specialist, BOEM, Pacific Region, Office of Strategic Resources, 760 
Paseo Camarillo (CM 102), Camarillo, California 93010, (805) 384-6265 
or [email protected].
    For information regarding qualification requirements to hold an OCS 
wind energy lease, contact Lakeisha Douglas, BOEM, Pacific Region, 
Office of Strategic Resources, at [email protected] or (805) 
384-6394.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Authority

    This Call is published under subsection 8(p)(3) of the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3), and its 
implementing regulations at 30 CFR 585.210 and 585.211.

2. Purpose

    The OCSLA requires BOEM to award leases competitively unless BOEM 
determines that there is no competitive interest (43 U.S.C. 
1337(p)(3)). The primary purpose of this Call is to collect further 
information and feedback on industry interest, site conditions, 
resources, and ocean uses within, and surrounding, the Call Area.
    An essential part of BOEM's renewable energy leasing process for 
Guam is working closely with Federal agencies, Indigenous Peoples, 
State and local governments, industry, and ocean users to identify 
areas that may be suitable for potential offshore wind development to 
provide electric power to Guam communities. BOEM has not yet determined 
which areas, if any, within the Call Area may be offered for lease. 
Your input is essential and will help BOEM determine areas that may be 
suitable for offshore wind energy development. There will also be 
multiple opportunities to provide feedback throughout the renewable 
energy planning and leasing process. A detailed description of the Call 
Area may be found below in section 6, ``Description of Call Area.'' For 
more information about BOEM's competitive and noncompetitive leasing 
processes, please see section 4, ``BOEM's Planning and Leasing 
Process.''

3. Background

    The Energy Policy Act of 2005 amended OCSLA by adding subsection 
8(p)(1)(C), which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) 
to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way on the OCS for activities 
that are not otherwise authorized by law and that produce or support 
production, transportation, or transmission of energy from sources 
other than oil or gas, including renewable energy sources. Furthermore, 
under section 3(3) of OCSLA (43 U.S.C. 1332(3)), BOEM considers leasing 
the OCS for offshore wind development because ``the Outer Continental 
Shelf is a vital national resource reserve held by the Federal 
Government for the public, which should be made available for 
expeditious and orderly development, subject to environmental 
safeguards, in a manner which is consistent with the maintenance of 
competition and other national needs.''
    The Secretary delegated these OCSLA authorities to the BOEM 
Director. On April 29, 2009, the Department of the Interior 
(Department) published regulations entitled, ``Renewable Energy and 
Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf,'' 
\1\ which were subsequently re-codified at 30 CFR part 585.\2\ On May 
15, 2024, the Department amended its offshore renewable energy 
regulations through the publication of the final Renewable Energy 
Modernization Rule.\3\ This final rule reduced regulatory burdens and 
streamlined processes and incorporated recommendations from 
stakeholders. The Renewable Energy Modernization Rule became effective 
on July 15, 2024.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 74 FR 19638 (April 29, 2009).
    \2\ 76 FR 64432 (October 18, 2011).
    \3\ 89 FR 42602 (May 15, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 50251(b) of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) 
expanded the definition of the OCS under OCSLA to include submerged 
lands within the exclusive economic zone adjacent to U.S. territories. 
The IRA directs the Secretary to issue calls for interest in offshore 
wind leasing off territorial coasts and authorizes wind lease sales in 
areas deemed feasible and of interest after the Secretary has consulted 
with the Territorial Governor. BOEM and the Government of Guam have 
initiated the first planning step in the BOEM renewable energy 
authorization process by establishing the BOEM Guam Intergovernmental 
Renewable Energy Task Force (Task Force) at the request of the 
Honorable Lourdes ``Lou'' Aflague Leon Guerrero, the Governor of Guam.
    In a subsection entitled, ``Offshore Wind for the Territories,'' 
the IRA imposed several deadlines for wind energy leasing offshore the 
U.S. territories. Specifically, in Section 50251(b)(2), the IRA directs 
the Secretary to issue an initial Call for Information and Nominations 
no later than September 30, 2025. This Call meets the relevant 
requirements and deadline from the IRA.
    On October 4, 2023, the Department amended its offshore renewable 
energy regulations to conform with the IRA. The regulation entitled, 
``Conformity with the Inflation Reduction Act for Renewable Energy on 
the Outer Continental Shelf'' \4\ became effective on December 4, 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ 88 FR 68460 (October 4, 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because Guam is a volcanically-formed island in the Pacific Ocean, 
it has a narrow coastal shelf with steep continental slopes, and thus 
the ocean deepens quickly from shore. As a result, the Call Area is in 
water depths too deep for traditional fixed bottom foundation designs, 
and offshore wind development in these areas will require floating 
technology and designs. On September 15, 2022, the Biden Administration 
announced the goal of deploying 15 GW of floating offshore wind power 
in the U.S. by 2035, building on the existing goal of 30 GW of total 
offshore wind energy by 2030. BOEM is committed to this ambitious goal 
by responsibly fostering the growth of offshore wind energy capacity 
and participating in collaborative, data-based planning to inform 
decisions involving shared ocean resources and the many users that 
depend on them. To this end, BOEM's five-year renewable energy leasing 
schedule includes a potential lease sale for a U.S. Territory in 
2028.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ See this Press Release for additional information on the 
five-year schedule: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-announces-new-five-year-offshore-wind-leasing-schedule.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 665]]

    Notably, upon release of this Call, BOEM intends to continue 
engagement with the Indigenous Peoples of Guam. Indigenous knowledge 
about the local environment and concerns of Indigenous Peoples about 
offshore wind project development constitute crucial information to be 
considered during the BOEM offshore wind planning and leasing process. 
BOEM appreciates the importance of coordinating its planning with other 
OCS users, regulators, and relevant Federal agencies including, but not 
limited to, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park 
Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department 
of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs, and the Department of 
Defense (DoD). BOEM also coordinates with and requests input from the 
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and Guam Sea Grant; 
both of these organizations consider Indigenous fishing practices. In 
addition, BOEM uses other information sources in its decision-making, 
such as data and information on the location of marine life and habitat 
areas, cultural resources, transportation links, fishing areas, and 
other human uses that must be considered when offshore energy or other 
infrastructure projects are proposed. In 2024, BOEM received a request 
from Guam's Governor to convene a regional intergovernmental renewable 
energy task force and begin the process of investigating offshore wind 
as an option for Guam. In response, BOEM established the BOEM Guam 
Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to facilitate 
coordination among relevant Federal agencies and Territorial and local 
governments throughout the leasing and planning process. The first Task 
Force meeting was held on September 11, 2024. Materials from the Task 
Force meeting are available on the BOEM website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/guam-activities.
    The Task Force meeting was followed by a two-day BOEM/National 
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Data Workshop, which was held 
on September 12 and 13, 2024. Attendees from Federal, Territorial, and 
local agencies and non-governmental organizations provided data and 
insight on potential data gaps. Information about the NCCOS process can 
be found on the NOAA NCCOS website at: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/marine-biogeographic-assessment-of-u-s-territories/.
    Guam's electricity is provided entirely by the Guam Power Authority 
(GPA), a public utility company overseen by the Consolidated Commission 
on Utilities and regulated by the Guam Public Utilities Commission. In 
2019, Guam Public Law 35-46 amended GPA's renewable energy portfolio 
standard goal to 100 percent by 2045. GPA included a pathway to 100 
percent renewable energy by 2040 in its Clean Energy Master Plan, along 
with an interim goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. Solar 
photovoltaic energy and energy storage system projects have paved the 
way for renewables and contributed toward achievement of GPA's 
renewable energy goals thus far.

4. BOEM's Planning and Leasing Process

a. Determination of Competitive Interest

    Subsection 8(p)(3) of OCSLA states that ``the Secretary shall issue 
a lease, easement, or right-of-way . . . on a competitive basis unless 
the Secretary determines after public notice of a proposed lease, 
easement, or right-of-way that there is no competitive interest.''
    If BOEM determines both that competitive interest exists in 
acquiring a lease to develop offshore wind energy and that the areas 
within the Call Area are appropriate to lease, BOEM may hold one or 
more competitive lease sales for those areas. If BOEM holds a lease 
sale, all qualified bidders, including bidders that did not submit a 
nomination in response to this Call, will be able to participate in the 
lease sale.
    BOEM reserves the right to refrain from offering for lease any 
areas that are nominated as a result of this Call and to modify 
nominated areas before offering them for lease.

b. Competitive Leasing Process

    BOEM will follow the steps required by 30 CFR 585.211 through 
585.226 if it decides to proceed with the competitive leasing process 
after analyzing the responses to this Call. Those steps are:
    (1) Area Identification: BOEM will identify areas for consideration 
for leasing. Those areas will constitute Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) and 
will be subject to environmental analysis in consultation with 
appropriate Federal agencies, Indigenous Peoples, Territorial and local 
governments, and other interested parties. Before finalizing the WEAs, 
BOEM may publish draft WEAs with a public comment period and a docket 
on regulations.gov.
    (2) Proposed Sale Notice (PSN): If BOEM decides to proceed with a 
competitive lease sale within the WEAs, BOEM will publish a PSN in the 
Federal Register with a public comment period of 60 days, unless BOEM 
specifies another time period of not less than 30 days. The PSN will 
describe the areas that BOEM intends to offer for leasing, the proposed 
conditions of a lease sale, the proposed auction format of the lease 
sale, and the lease instrument, including the proposed lease addenda. 
Additionally, the PSN will describe the criteria and process for 
evaluating bids in the lease sale.
    (3) Final Sale Notice (FSN): After considering the comments on the 
PSN and completing its environmental analysis and consultations, if 
BOEM decides to proceed with a competitive lease sale, it will publish 
an FSN in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the date of the 
lease sale. The FSN will provide the final terms and conditions for a 
lease sale, including the date, time, and location for the sale itself. 
The FSN will also include a list of the companies that have legally, 
technically and financially qualified to participate in the lease sale.
    (4) Bid Submission and Evaluation: Following the publication of the 
FSN in the Federal Register, BOEM will offer the lease area(s) through 
a competitive sale process using procedures specified in the FSN. BOEM 
will review the sale, including bids and bid deposits, for technical 
and legal adequacy. BOEM will ensure that bidders have complied with 
all applicable regulations. BOEM reserves the right to reject all bids 
and to withdraw an offer to lease an area, even after bids have been 
submitted.
    (5) Issuance of a Lease: Following identification of the winning 
bidder on a lease area, BOEM will notify that bidder and provide the 
lease documents for signature.

5. Development of the Call Area

    BOEM began discussions in 2024 with the Government of Guam and 
several Federal agencies (i.e., NOAA and DoD) on the potential for 
offshore wind leasing on the OCS offshore Guam. The breadth of relevant 
spatial data representing marine natural resources and ocean uses 
available in the area surrounding Guam must be further understood. 
Therefore, BOEM's strategy for the Guam Call Area is to start with an 
expanded geographic area to allow for broad information collection and 
geospatial analysis.
    BOEM defined the northern boundary of the Call Area as the area 
halfway between Guam and the nearby island of Rota. BOEM removed only a 
limited number of areas from the Call Area, including areas in which 
offshore wind

[[Page 666]]

energy development cannot occur as a result of law, jurisdictional, or 
technical considerations. These include:
     Areas between the shoreline and 3 nautical miles from 
shore;
     Areas deeper than 2600 meters.
    The Call Area is the area within which BOEM is seeking to identify 
one or more locations suitable for offshore wind development. It is not 
indicative of the area that may ultimately be developed. BOEM 
recognizes that the Call Area may include areas where future offshore 
wind energy development could conflict with existing ocean uses (e.g., 
fishing, shipping) and sensitive habitats that are important to the 
conservation and recovery of protected species, including specific 
areas which BOEM previously received feedback on during the September 
2024 Task Force meeting (e.g., fishing areas to the north of Guam). The 
intention of defining a large Call Area is to receive feedback across a 
broad area on specific locations that may or may not be well suited for 
offshore wind based on a variety of factors. The feedback and 
information provided can then be incorporated into the offshore wind 
planning process.

6. Description of Call Area

    The Call Area consists of 2,114,344 acres located off the coast of 
Guam (see Figure 1). The map depicting the Call Area (Figure 1), a 
spreadsheet listing its specific OCS blocks, and an Esri shapefile are 
available for download on the BOEM website at: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/guam-activities.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN06JA25.005

7. Guam Next Steps

    The Call Area identifies broad portions of the OCS offshore Guam 
for further analysis. That analysis will include consideration of 
commercial nominations and public comments submitted in response to 
this Call so that potential use conflicts can be analyzed during the 
next step in the leasing process: the designation of specific WEAs 
(Area Identification). BOEM's analysis during Area Identification will 
evaluate the appropriateness of the Call Area for offshore wind energy 
development, balanced against potential ocean user conflicts.
    BOEM will consider environmental information, consultations, public 
comments, and continued coordination with the BOEM Guam 
Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, which includes relevant 
Federal, Territorial, and local governments. If BOEM continues to 
proceed with the process, BOEM anticipates designating specific WEAs 
within the Call Area and developing lease terms and conditions to 
avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts from leasing and site 
assessment activities. Starting with the Call and continuing through 
the subsequent stages in BOEM's leasing process, BOEM is committed to 
working with the following groups:

a. Coordination With the Guam Governor's Office

    BOEM coordinated with staff from the Governor's office to plan the 
first Task Force meeting and to engage with Territorial and local 
agencies and Indigenous Peoples. BOEM coordinated

[[Page 667]]

with the Governor's office while developing the Call Area and will 
continue coordination to convene the Task Force to enhance 
collaboration and address challenges associated with the siting of 
offshore wind leasing areas.

b. BOEM/NCCOS Partnership

    In September 2022, BOEM announced enhancements to its Area 
Identification process.\6\ One of these enhancements is a partnership 
with NCCOS to employ a spatial model that analyzes entire marine 
ecosystems to identify the least conflicted areas for wind energy 
sites. NCCOS and BOEM are leveraging a team of expert spatial planners, 
marine and fisheries scientists, project coordinators, environmental 
policy analysts, and other subject matter experts to develop the Guam 
Offshore Wind Suitability Model (suitability model).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ BOEM Enhances its Processes to Identify Future Offshore Wind 
Energy Areas. (September 16, 2022). Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management. https://www.boem.gov/newsroom/notes-stakeholders/boem-enhances-its-processes-identify-future-offshore-wind-energy-areas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    BOEM and NCCOS intend to use the suitability modeling methods that 
were previously applied to offshore wind energy siting efforts in the 
Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Maine, Oregon, and Central Atlantic regions 
during Area Identification. NCCOS's spatial modeling approach provides 
a tool for identifying areas that are most suitable for offshore wind 
energy development, particularly when large areas of the OCS offshore a 
state or territory have potential for such development. Additionally, 
BOEM intends for this partnership and modeling approach to enhance 
transparency, improve engagement, and provide a consistent, 
reproducible methodology for understanding and deconflicting ocean 
space. As described in Section 3, BOEM and NCCOS held a Data Workshop 
in September 2024 to begin the process of gathering data and forming 
collaborations between multiple Federal, Territorial, and local 
agencies and non-governmental organizations to discuss data in the 
region.

c. Coordination With DoD

    DoD conducts offshore training and operations within portions of 
the Call Area. BOEM intends to refine the Call Area during the Area 
Identification process based on DoD's assessment of compatibility 
between commercial offshore wind energy development and DoD activities 
as described in the ``Memorandum of Understanding Between the 
Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior Regarding 
Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf'' signed in 
October 2024.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ BOEM. 2024. Memorandum of Understanding Between the 
Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior Regarding 
Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf. 
Available at: https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/about-boem/regulations-guidance/BOEM%20DOD%20MOU%20-Collaboration%20on%20Offshore%20Wind%20Development.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    BOEM is currently working with DoD and will continue collaborating 
closely with DoD on Guam's offshore wind energy mission compatibility 
assessment. That assessment may identify areas incompatible for wind 
energy leasing, areas potentially incompatible with mitigation 
measures, and/or areas compatible with wind energy development. 
Potentially incompatible areas are those that will require site-
specific mitigation to ensure that offshore wind energy facilities are 
compatible with DoD activities. These mitigation measures may include, 
among others: hold and save harmless agreements; mandatory coordination 
with DoD on specified activities; restrictions on electromagnetic 
emissions; and evacuation procedures from the lease area for safety 
reasons when notified by DoD. BOEM may remove from leasing 
consideration any OCS blocks identified as incompatible with DoD's 
activities in the compatibility assessment.

d. Coordination With Chamoru Community and Indigenous Peoples

    Local and Territorial agencies with associations with the Chamoru 
community are members of or have been invited to be a part of the Task 
Force. BOEM will continue to engage with members of these agencies and 
other local groups during the offshore wind planning process, including 
Area Identification. Some of the concerns identified are potential 
impacts on Indigenous fishing practices, traditional navigation and 
paddling, and land use associated with offshore wind projects; 
additionally, meeting fatigue and capacity issues were also cited as 
concerns. BOEM will engage further with these groups to identify 
additional concerns through outreach and ongoing studies in the region. 
BOEM has started engagement with the Indigenous Peoples of Guam and the 
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands through the BOEM-funded study 
entitled, ``Maritime Heritage of the U.S. Pacific Islands,'' which will 
continue through 2027.

e. Coordination With NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 
Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO)

    NMFS has broad responsibility in research and management of the 
marine environment, including management of sustainable fisheries, and 
conservation and recovery of protected resources. BOEM and the NMFS 
Pacific Island Regional Office (PIRO) will collaborate closely 
throughout the offshore wind planning process by partnering to close 
information gaps; engage with Indigenous, recreational and commercial 
fishers; and on data collection and sharing. PIRO will be an important 
partner in the NCCOS Area Identification process. After the Area 
Identification process, BOEM plans to conduct an Environmental 
Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to 
leasing. BOEM would also initiate the necessary consultations with NMFS 
under the Endangered Species Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA) regarding potential impacts.

f. Coordination With Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management 
Council

    The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council) 
is one of eight regional councils established by the MSA. The Council 
manages fisheries within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off 
Hawai[revaps]i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, and eight remote islands. BOEM coordinates with the 
Council by providing status updates on offshore wind planning for Guam 
and will continue coordination throughout the planning and leasing 
process. The Council provides crucial feedback on managed fisheries and 
Indigenous Peoples' fishing in the region.

8. Requested Information From Interested or Affected Parties

    Feedback from interested or affected parties is essential to help 
BOEM identify areas that may be suitable for potential offshore wind 
development. Commenters should be as specific and detailed as possible 
to help BOEM understand and address the comments. Where applicable, 
spatial information should be submitted in a format compatible with 
Esri ArcGIS (Esri shapefile or Esri file geodatabase) in the WGS84 
geographic coordinate system. BOEM requests comments regarding the 
following features, activities, mitigations, or concerns within or 
around the Call Area.

[[Page 668]]

    a. Information on geological, geophysical, and biological sea floor 
conditions (including bottom and shallow hazards and live bottom).
    b. Information on protected species.
    c. Information on other uses of the OCS in or near the Call Area, 
particularly with regard to vessel navigation. Additional information 
regarding recreational, commercial and Indigenous fisheries, including, 
but not limited to, the use of the areas, the fishing gear types used, 
seasonal use, and recommendations for reducing use conflicts.
    d. Information on potential locations of unexploded ordnance (UXO); 
other historic dumping or disposal in the marine environment.
    e. Information on current energy use, renewable energy goals and 
potential interest in offshore wind development on the OCS near islands 
surrounding Guam (e.g., Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).
    f. Information on renewable energy cost analyses or wind datasets 
that may be available. Relatedly, BOEM is providing funding to the 
National Renewable Energy Laboratory for work to inform the Levelized 
Cost of Energy for offshore wind off Guam that will include modeled 
wind speeds in and around the Call Area. BOEM welcomes additional 
information on these topics.
    g. Information from the offshore wind energy industry on the 
considerations for offshore energy development in deep waters, 
including greater than 1,300 meter water depths, and in areas where the 
seafloor slope is greater than 10 degrees, with respect to mooring 
configurations and subsea transmission cables. Feedback on other 
development considerations in deep waters, such as available floating 
technology, transmission distance, water depth, seafloor conditions, 
and operations and maintenance feasibility and costs.
    h. Information regarding the identification of historic properties 
or potential effects to historic properties from leasing, site 
assessment activities (including the installation of meteorological 
buoys), or commercial wind energy development in the Call Area. This 
includes potential offshore archaeological sites, cultural resources, 
or other historic properties within the areas described in this notice 
and onshore historic properties that could potentially be affected by 
renewable energy activities within the Call Area. This information will 
inform BOEM's review of future undertakings conducted pursuant to 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the 
NEPA.
    i. Information relating to visual and scenic resources, including 
seascape, landscape, and ocean character aesthetics; visually sensitive 
areas along the coastline that are sensitive to changes in ocean views 
(e.g., scenic seaside trails, National Park System units, National 
Wildlife Refuges, Territorial parks, historic districts, conservation 
areas, and other special designations with scenic value); suggestions 
for potential key observation points for evaluating potential visual 
impacts (i.e., places that people visit, recreate, work, and live where 
ocean views contribute to the quality of experience); general or 
specific public concerns over potential visual impacts by wind energy 
development; and potential strategies to help minimize or mitigate any 
visual effects. BOEM welcomes input on the degree of acceptable or 
unacceptable levels of offshore wind energy visibility as would be seen 
from the coastline, and thresholds of diminished or increased 
visibility as influenced by distances between onshore viewers and wind 
energy facilities.
    j. Information regarding the potential for interference with radar 
systems covering the Call Area, including, but not limited to, the use 
of surface and airborne radar systems for offshore search and rescue 
operations and environmental monitoring.
    k. Information regarding locations and activities associated with 
potential, ongoing and future exploration of offshore sand resources, 
including nearshore resources and placement areas that may be impacted 
by a potential future lease area or possible electrical cable 
transmission routes.
    l. Information on the constraints and advantages of possible 
electrical cable transmission routes, including onshore landing and 
interconnection points for cables connecting offshore wind energy 
facilities to the onshore electrical grid, and information regarding 
future demand for electricity in the region.
    m. Information regarding the size and number of WEAs, taking into 
consideration the offshore wind energy goals of Guam. BOEM requests 
further information on what additional factors it should consider in 
determining the size and number of WEAs.
    n. Information related to Indigenous Peoples in the region and 
interactions with potential offshore wind energy facilities, such as 
potential impacts to CHamoru cultural practices; lands; resources; 
ancestral lands; sacred sites, including sites that are submerged; and 
access to traditional areas of cultural or religious importance on 
federally managed lands and waters. BOEM will protect confidential 
information shared by Indigenous Peoples in response to this Call to 
the extent authorized by Federal law. Treatment of confidential 
information is addressed in section 10 of this notice entitled, 
``Protection of Privileged, Personal, or Confidential Information.''
    o. Socioeconomic information for communities potentially affected 
by wind energy leasing in the Call Area, including community profiles, 
vulnerability and resiliency data, and information on environmental 
justice communities. BOEM also solicits comments on how best to 
meaningfully engage with these communities.
    p. Information on coastal or onshore activities needed to support 
offshore wind energy development, such as port and transmission 
infrastructure, and associated potential impacts to recreation, scenic, 
cultural, historical, and natural resources relating to those 
activities.
    q. Any other relevant information that you think BOEM should 
consider during its planning and decision-making process for the 
purpose of identifying areas to lease within the Call Area.

9. Required Nomination Information

    BOEM previously received information that its former practice of 
publishing the areas nominated by each qualified company in response to 
a Call may disincentivize entities from submitting nominations. 
Nominations and the accompanying rationale are extremely useful to help 
BOEM understand and model the commercial viability of portions of the 
OCS. Therefore, BOEM will not publish individual maps of each qualified 
company's nominations received in response to this Call. BOEM will 
publish a heatmap that shows an aggregated view of all the nominations 
and a list of the qualified companies that submitted nominations. Where 
applicable, qualified companies should submit spatial information in a 
format compatible with Esri ArcGIS (Esri shapefile or Esri file 
geodatabase) in the WGS84 geographic coordinate system.
    If you wish to nominate one or more areas for a commercial wind 
energy lease within the Call Area, you must provide the following 
information for each nomination:
    (a) The BOEM protraction name, number, and the specific whole or 
partial OCS blocks within the Call Area that you are interested in 
leasing. If your nomination includes one or more partial blocks, please 
describe those partial blocks in terms of sixteenths (i.e., sub-block) 
of an OCS block. Each area you

[[Page 669]]

nominate should be sized appropriately to accommodate the development 
of a reasonable wind energy facility for the region (e.g., a facility 
with the generation capacity of up to 350 megawatts) plus a buffer 
(generation capacity of up to 500 megawatts). Nominations that 
considerably exceed the acreage needed to support a generation capacity 
of up to 500 megawatts, such as a nomination for the entire Call Area, 
may be deemed unreasonable and not accepted by BOEM.
    (b) A rationale describing why you selected the nominated areas. 
The more detailed the rationale provided, the more informative it will 
be to BOEM's process. BOEM is particularly interested in how factors 
like wind speed, water depth, seafloor slope, bottom type, and 
interconnection points factor into the nomination process.
    (c) A description of your objectives and the facilities that you 
would use to achieve those objectives.
    (d) A preliminary schedule of proposed activities, including those 
leading to commercial operations.
    (e) Available and pertinent data and information concerning 
renewable energy resources and environmental conditions in each area 
that you wish to lease, including energy and resource data, and other 
information used to evaluate the area.
    (f) Documentation demonstrating that you are legally, technically, 
and financially qualified to hold an OCS wind energy lease, as set 
forth in 30 CFR 585.107--585.108. Qualification materials should be 
developed in accordance with the guidelines available at https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Qualification-Guidelines. For examples of 
documentation appropriate for demonstrating your legal qualifications 
and related guidance, contact Lakeisha Douglas, BOEM, Pacific Region, 
Office of Strategic Resources, at [email protected] or (805) 
384-6394.

10. Protection of Privileged, Personal, or Confidential Information

a. Freedom of Information Act

    BOEM will protect privileged or confidential information that you 
submit when required by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 
Exemption 4 of FOIA applies to trade secrets and commercial or 
financial information that is privileged or confidential. If you wish 
to protect the confidentiality of such information, clearly label it 
and request that BOEM treat it as confidential. BOEM will not disclose 
such information if BOEM determines under 30 CFR 585.114(b) that it 
qualifies for exemption from disclosure under FOIA. Please label 
privileged or confidential information ``Contains Confidential 
Information'' and consider submitting such information as a separate 
attachment.
    BOEM will not treat as confidential any aggregate summaries of such 
information or comments not containing such privileged or confidential 
information. Information that is not labeled as privileged or 
confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.

b. Personally Identifiable Information

    BOEM encourages you not to submit anonymous comments. Please 
include your name and address as part of your comment. You should be 
aware that your entire comment, including your name, address, and any 
personally identifiable information (PII) included in your comment, may 
be made publicly available. All submissions from identified 
individuals, businesses, and organizations will be available for public 
viewing on regulations.gov. Note that BOEM will make available for 
public inspection all comments, in their entirety, submitted by 
organizations and businesses, or by individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives of organizations or businesses.
    For BOEM to consider withholding your PII from disclosure, you must 
identify any information contained in your comments that, if released, 
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal 
privacy. You must also briefly describe any possible harmful 
consequences of the disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, 
injury, or other harm. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the 
context of this Call, your submission is subject to FOIA and, if your 
submission is requested under FOIA, your information will be withheld 
only if a determination is made that one of FOIA's exemptions to 
disclosure applies. Such a determination will be made in accordance 
with the Department's FOIA regulations and applicable law.

c. Section 304 of the NHPA (54 U.S.C. 307103(a))

    After consultation with the Secretary, BOEM is required to withhold 
the location, character, or ownership of historic resources if it 
determines that disclosure may, among other things, risk harm to the 
historic resources or impede the use of a traditional religious site by 
practitioners. Indigenous Peoples, communities, and organizations 
should designate information that falls under Section 304 of the NHPA 
as confidential.

11. BOEM's Environmental Review Process

    Before deciding whether leases may be issued, BOEM will prepare an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) under NEPA (including public comment 
periods to determine the scope of the EA and to review and comment on 
the draft EA). The EA will analyze anticipated impacts from leasing 
within the WEAs and site characterization and assessment activities 
expected to occur after a lease is issued. Site characterization 
activities include geophysical, geotechnical, archaeological, and 
biological surveys, and site assessment activities, including the 
installation and operation of meteorological buoys. BOEM will also 
conduct appropriate consultations with Federal agencies, Territorial 
agencies, and local governments during preparation of the EA. These 
consultations include, but are not limited to, those required by the 
Coastal Zone Management Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Section 106 of the 
NHPA.
    Before BOEM allows any construction of a wind energy project in the 
Call Area, BOEM must approve a construction and operations plan (COP) 
submitted by a Lessee. Prior to the approval of a COP, BOEM will need 
to consider the potential environmental effects of the construction and 
operation of any wind energy facility under a separate, project-
specific NEPA analysis. This analysis will include additional 
opportunities for public involvement and may result in the publication 
of an environmental impact statement.

Elizabeth Klein,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-31231 Filed 1-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P