Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

May 23, 2012. Public teleconference update on Statoil's Hywind Maine proposal 
    
Transcript (lightly edited for clarity)

INTRODUCTION
On May 23, 2012 the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held a two hour virtual meeting of the Maine Ocean Energy Task Force. They discussed next steps in reviewing energy giant Statoil's application to deploy four deepwater wind turbines 12+ miles off Brunswick, Maine.  These include 

 (1)	the wording of a Request for Competitive Interest  (RFCI), to be published  to learn if any other energy companies are interested in the proposed location before moving forward with Statoil's application, and,

 (2)	 Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Analysis on whether to do a Environmental Impact Study or only an Environmental Assessment. Statoil will hold several public meetings in the last week of June. 

After that meeting  Aditi Mirani of BOEM hosted 18 minute public conference call took place. BOEM official Aditi Mirani led a question and answer session about the meeting  and about where the Statoil plan presently stands.   

Public Teleconference attendees:
Aditi Mirani & Randy Jones of BOEM
Michelle _____ from Coast Guard
Heather Parent  of Maine DEP
Michael Ernst,  & Kathleen Miller of Tetratech
Suzanne McDonald Island Institute
Ron Huber, Penobscot Bay Watch
Wayne Goodale, Bidiversity Research Institute
Kristen Armodt, Kari Hege Mork & Megan Kaiser of Statoil 

Statoil will hold public meetings in late June 2012.   BOEM will release its Requestion for Competitive Interest and  its Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental analysis,  in July.

TRANSCRIPT  START

Aditi Mirani BOEM  Let's go over a brief debrief of the intergovernmental task force meeting: 
We discussed the requirements for competitive interest notice. Went over notice section by section. Purpose? Why issue a Request For Competitive Interest? 
How interested parties can submit comments or responses  if interested in the area that Statoil is proposed. What kind of technology...

Aditi Mirani. Three main goals for issuing the RFCI 
 1.	Described proposal. Who is the applicant  what are they proposing what type of technology:the who, what , where and how of it.

2. Get public input regarding proposal, including its potential environmental consequences and competitive interests for a commercial lease off Maine

3. Last, the mechanism  When published in  the federal register (estimated date mid to late July)  it will be for 60 days. You can send in comments electronically via www.regulations.gov or via mail to  BOEM's address 

Aditi Mirani. (cont'd) Then the Task Force discussed the requirements for those interested in submitting a nomination for a lease:  a statement  of their wish to acquire a commercial lease for the area;  what the schedule  is;  any available pertinent resources, and documentation of proof of being financially qualified. We do a qualification scheck of the applicant

Then the task force meeting discussed what kind of info  we are looking for from interested or affected parties.  For example geological info. Geophysical info.
Physical conditions, historic or geological studies. Looking for any kind of alternative uses : navigation vessel traffic and commercial and recreational fisheries  -we know that is an important area, especially in Maine.  Another example: archeological info; any other environmental  economic information you think is relevant.

The last part of the Maine Task Force meeting was about  the confidentiality of information supplied  to its members. 

I should mention that along with RFCI, we plan to at the same time issue a notice of intent to prepare an environmental analysis  which will be a separate federal register notice but will be going out at the same  time as the RFCI  That was the nature of the discussion

That's really it.  Questions?       

(End of Mirani's summary) 

QUESTIONS 

Q. Ron  Huber :Would that be an assessment of whether an EA or Environmental impact study would be done?

A. BOEM That'll be determined in the publication in the notice of intent It will tell exactly what we  intend to prepare. There will be a public comment opportunity between 30 to 120 days, that will be determined by the type of  document we choose.

In addition there will be public information sessions that we will conduct as part of our scoping process.  Statoil is planning to have their own public information session meeting during the week of June 25th. There are going to be held maybe in three or four locations. so if anyone is interested in attending you can certainly do so  I do not have the date information but Statoil's Kari Hege Mork will.  

Q. Kathleen Miller Tetratech  There will be public notices published in the newspaper for the open house details.

Q . Ernst For the Statoil meeting?

A. Kathleen Miller  A. Yes. 

Q. Ron Huber  The DEP person on this call was on the conference; Does that person have any insights to share?
, 
A. Heather Parent ,Maine DEP.  At this point We don't have an application submitted for review. Once an application has been submitted to DEP we; ll be going forward without environmental review We'll be having independent public comment opportunities at that time.

Q. Suzanne McDonald, Island Institute.  The RFCI once released will be published in the federal register.  Will it be publicized through any other way, like one of the emails that will come out from you like the one announcing this meeting today?

A. BOEM. I think there will be a press release. Keep a look out in the federal register. I can probably also send a notice to the interested  parties.

Q. Michael Ernst,  Tetratech. Can you tell us the focus of the environmental analysis that you are beginning at the same time as the issuance of the request for competitive interest?

A. Randy Jones (sp?)  - BOEM Environment Branch Here's a little about NEPA. The NEPA analysis will be focused on the proposed action but it will be scoped, and therefore, the answer to your question will be the results of the scoping meetings and the comments we receive as a result of  the Notice  of Intent .

You'll have much more information about our NEPA process when you get the Notice of 
Intent  But the result of that scoping really will inform the full view of what we' re looking at. So we'll be more prepared to answer that question fully when we get through with our scoping process.

 Q. Michael Ernst , Tetratech. You mentioned that it is targeted to the specific action. Are you referring to the decision on  Competitive interest Is that the specific action?

A. No I'm referring to the unsolicited proposal that BOEM received from Statoil

Aditi Mirani .  Any other questions?

Q Ron Huber;  A question to Statoil: How does this process stack up with the process for your Hywind project off Norway?
  
A. Megan Kaiser, Statoil.  The only  other Hywind demo we have right now is just a single demonstration project  off the coast of Norway, It did not go through a similar lrocess so it is difficult  to compare. We feel confident we’ve been having a good dialog and with the task force and feel its progressing well. 

Q. Ron Huber The fishermen do not think they been getting connected very well with Statoil.

A Mirani :  that should be a subject for Statoil's meeting, not this one.

Q. Ron Huber  Was there anyone from the municipalities at the task force meeting?
A. Mirani Yes. Bruce McDonald was there,  Chris Rector was not there. The County 
Commissioner Jean Cloutier was there. Representative Michaud's staffer Rosemary Winslow and a representative of  Senator Collins: Carol Woodcock. The town manager of Boothbay.
  
Q. Michael Ernst, Tetratech:  Re the NEPA review announcement.  I understand the agency whenever it takes a particular action or issues a significant decision, that appropriate NEPA review is required.  If BOEM issues a determination of no competition interest, then Statoil will proceed to the next step in the BOEM 
process?  That will proceed with them filing a COP?  [Construction and Operations Plan]

A. BOEM: Then there will be an appropriate environmental review under NEPA for that process. 

Q. Michael Ernst, Tetratech: My question is, by announcing this NEPA analysis in conjunction with the request for competitive interest, are you focusing on a decision that will be made related to the determination of  competitive interest? Or are you announcing your proposed environmental review for the entire process,  including the COP?

A. BOEM: What we received in the unsolicited proposal includes the information that would be necessary for us to conduct the review through decommissioning of that proposed project. This assumes that we are able to determine non competitive interest and proceed down that path.  If it is determine there's no competitive interest we’ll complete the environmental analysis based on the entirety of the proposed 
project - from lease issuance all the way through decommissioning.

The other possibility. although not going to make any indications that it may or may not be, is that there IS some competitive interest.  In that case we would have to  reconsider and revise our notice of Intent and reform our environmental analysis around a structure that looks like our "Smart From The Start"  program for the midatlantic states. But the short answer is we are trying to issue the RFCI and the Notice of Intent at the same time to build efficiencies into the time scheduled for this project. 

We aren't predetermining the outcome of either the RFCI or the NEPA analysis but we are initiating them concurrently so that we can gather this information from you and other interested parties very early in the process. And so that we can complete it more efficiently. Does that answer your questions?

A Yes. 

Q Aditi Mirani: Are there any more questions before we rap up? 
(15 second silence) 

A (multiple persons:) Thank you.

END