This polygon shapefile represents Board of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease areas in the Northeastern United States. The Cape Wind Energy Project was proposed by Cape Wind Associates, LLC, in November 2001. Prior to BOEM’s involvement, the United States Army Corps of Engineers assumed the lead federal regulatory role under the River and Harbors Act, and issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in November 2004. Following the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the former Minerals Management Service assumed lead federal responsibility for offshore wind power projects. On September 14, 2005, Cape Wind applied for a commercial lease to construct and operate an offshore wind facility located in Federal waters offshore Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. On April 28, 2010, Department of the Interior Secretary Salazar announced the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Cape Wind Project. The ROD documents the decision to select the Preferred Alternative at Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound, as described in the final Environmental Impact Statement.On October 6, 2010, Cape Wind was issued the nation’s first commercial lease to construct and operate an offshore wind power facility for the Massachusetts and the Cape Cod region. The lease area is comprised of approximately 46 square miles in Nantucket Sound offshore Massachusetts, which accounts for both the project area and a buffer zone. On July 31, 2013, Interior Secretary Sally Jewel announced the nations first-ever competitive lease sale for renewable energy in federal waters. The provisional winner of the lease sale, which auctioned two leases for a Wind Energy Area of 164,750 acres offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts for wind energy development, is Deepwater Wind New England, LLC.LeasesNorth Lease Area - OCS-A0486 - approximately 97,500 acres. Lease Area - OCS-A0487 - approximately 67,250. Salazar announced on October 23, 2012 that BOEM has reached agreement on a commercial wind energy lease with Bluewater Wind Delaware, LLC for an area of the OCS offshore Delaware. The Delaware Notice of Determination of No Competitive Interest (DNCI) was published in the Federal Registeron April 12, 2011 under Docket ID: BOEM-2011-0008. The Delaware Notice of Proposed Lease Area and Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) was published in the Federal Registeron January 26, 2011 under Docket ID: BOEMRE-2010-0075. To support coastal and ocean planning and other activities pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act, Energy Policy Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Rivers and Harbors Act and the Submerged Lands Act. Not to be used for navigation This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.
