SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action: Dominion Energy seeks approval to construct, operate, and maintain the CVOW Project on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore coastal Virginia. The Project includes associated subsea export cables and an onshore cable route. The Project would be developed within the range of design parameters outlined in the CVOW COP, subject to applicable mitigation measures. The Project as proposed in the COP would include up to 205 wind turbine generators; up to 3 offshore high-voltage substations; inter-array cables linking the individual turbines to the offshore substations; up to 9 buried high-voltage, offshore export cables; a single export cable landing point on the Virginia State Military Reservation, Virginia Beach; and an onshore export cable route potentially comprised of combination of overhead and underground transmission facilities with a terminal point of interconnection to the existing Dominion Energy electrical grid at the Fentress Substation in Chesapeake, Virginia. The CVOW Project is located on the OCS approximately 24 nautical miles (27 statute miles, 44 kilometers) east of Virginia Beach, Virginia, within an area defined by Renewable Energy Lease OCS-A 0483 (Lease Area). The offshore export cables would be buried below the seabed surface in the U.S. OCS and Commonwealth of Virginia-owned submerged lands.

Alternatives: BOEM considered seven Project alternatives and six alternate onshore cable routes when preparing the DEIS. BOEM carried forward four of the Project alternatives and two of the alternate cable routes for detailed analysis in the DEIS. The four Project alternatives include three action alternatives and the no action alternative. The alternatives not carried forward for detailed analysis did not meet the purpose and need for the proposed action or did not meet the alternative screening criteria, which are described in DEIS chapter 2. The screening criteria included consistency with law and regulations; technical and economic feasibility; environmental impacts; and geographic considerations.

Availability of the DEIS: The Project DEIS, CVOW COP, and associated information are available on BOEM's website at: https://www.boem.gov/​renewable-energy/​state-activities/​CVOW-C.

BOEM has distributed digital copies of the DEIS to all parties listed in DEIS appendix H. If you require a flash drive or paper copy, BOEM will provide one upon request, as long as supplies are available. You may request a flash drive or paper copy of the DEIS by calling (504) 736-5713.

Cooperating and Consulting Agencies: The following Federal agencies participated as cooperating agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act in the preparation of the DEIS: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of the Navy. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and the Virginia Department of Energy are designated as participating agencies.

Information on Submitting Comments: BOEM does not consider anonymous comments. Please include your name and address as part of your comment. BOEM makes your comments, including your name and address, available for public review online and during regular business hours. You may request that BOEM withhold your name, address, or any other personally identifiable information (PII) included in your comment from the public record; however, BOEM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. If you wish your name, address, or other PII to be withheld, you must state your request prominently in a cover letter and explain the harm that you fear from its disclosure, such as unwarranted privacy invasion, embarrassment, or injury. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the context of this notice, your comment is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and any relevant court orders. If your comment is requested under FOIA or relevant court order, your information will only be withheld if a determination is made that one of the FOIA exemptions to disclosure applies or if the relevant court order is challenged. Such a determination will be made in accordance with the Department of the Interior's FOIA regulations and applicable law.

Please label privileged or confidential information as “Contains Confidential Information,” and consider submitting such information as a separate attachment. Information that is not labeled as privileged or confidential may be regarded by BOEM as suitable for public release.

All submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.

Authority:42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq. (NEPA, as amended) and 40 CFR 1506.6.

87 FR 77135