Those are questions we hope during the May 23rd webinar to impress upon BOEM's Maine Offshore Wind Task Force and the Statoil windpower division, as needing answering. The webinar takes place immediately following adjournment of the Maine task force meeting. Read more about the Maine Task Force Background: According to a recent report by the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency' "Guidance to Mariners Operating in the Vicinity of UK Offshore Renewable Energy Installations "Sec 2.9.2 In harvesting energy, turbines “de-power” the wind. Research indicates that a 10% reduction in wind velocity in the lee of a wind turbine may be expected. This wind-shadow effect is predicted to exist within the vertical air column up to heights of 15 metres. The impact of the wind-shadow reduces with distance in the lee of a turbine. The inter-turbine spacing affects the impact of rotor wash or wake. The width of the rotor wake is about 150 metres, which is broadly similar to the rotor diameter. As the rotor wake interacts with the sea surface further shadow effects are predicted. The wind, having changed its flow through the rotors, will be expected to recover downwind of the turbine. Consequently, wind-sheer may occur as the wind back fills." Public Participation on May 23rd matters. The interagency teleconference will be followed after it adjourns by a half hour open-to-the-public webinar. All concerned citizens and community interests nned to voice their concerns and their ideas to the decision makers remaining online after the end of their teleconference. (From past experience, most state and federal officials will not stick around for the public Q&;A. Remember, if you don't speak, you don't have a say in how this turns out. To take part in the 3 - 3:30pm webinar: Use the following dial-in number to participate in this public question and answer session: 1 (877) 972-8773. Code: 9556297. They will also give you a website to link to. Webinar notes On May 23rd the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a two hour virtual meeting of the Maine Ocean Energy Task Force to discuss next steps for reviewing energy giant Statoil's plan to deploy four deepwater wind turbines 12+ miles off Brunswick, Maine. The meeting was followed at 3pm by a 25 minute public conference call in which BOEM official Aditi Mirani led a question and answer session about the meeting and about where the Statoil plan presently stands. Start Introductions Suzanne McDonald Island Insitute Michael Ernst,m Tetratech Ron Huber MEDEP Michelle Kathleen Miller Heather Pareent DEP Michell from Coast Guard Kristen Armodt Statoil Megan Kaiser Stateel Goodale Bidiversity ADITI Go over a briefe debrief of hte intergovernmental task force meeting Discussed the requirements for conmpetitve interest notice. Went over notice sectoipn by secion Purpose whyissue request for competiticve How intersted parties can submit comments or ressponses if anyone is interested in the area that Stratoil is proposed what kind of tech the who what where and how ADITI Three Main goals for issueing RFPI 1. Describe proppsoal who is the applicant what are they proposing what type of technologby the who what where and how. Secnod is get public input regarding proposal including itsd potential environmental consequences and competitive interests for a commercial lease off Maine Last the mechanism When published fed register it will be for 60 days. You can send in comments electronically reguilations.gov or via mail to address. Estimasteed date mid to late july. Then a section if you are interested in sub mitting a nominaiton for a lease what the requirments are Need a statement wish to squire a commercial lease for area what the swchedule , any available pertient r3esources and documentation of financially qualified Then what kind of info we are looking for from interestd or affected parties. Example geological geophy physical condidstion historic or fgeological studies. Lookking for any kind of alternative uses navigation vessel traffic and commercial and recrttaional fisheries we know that is an important area esspecially in Maine. Nother example archceologial info any other envioro or economic infor you think is relevant Last section is ab oput confidentiality of info supplied them. That's really it ------------ Heather Parent and michell from the USCG. 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 That was the nature of the discussion QUESTION 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 exctly 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 during the the week of June 25th. There is going to be maybe in three or four locations Statoil is planning to have those meetings, so if anyone is interested in attending you cancertainly do so I do not have the date information but statoil's Kari Hege Mork will. BOEM There will be public notices public in the newspaper for the open house details. Q For the Statoil meeting? A. Kathleen Miller A. Yes. Q.RH The DEP person on this call was on the conference; Does that person have any insights to share? A. Heather Parent DEP At this point We don't have an application submitted for review. Once an application has been submitted to DEP well be going forward withour environmental review Well be having independent public comment oportunities at that time. , Q. Suzanne McDonald Island Institute The RFCI once released will be publicished in the federal register. Will it be publicized through any other way like one fo the emails that will copme 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 probablhy also a little before that es imated to be releases I will send a notice to the intersted parties. 10:56 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. Brandy Jones representing the Environment Branch (of BOEM) Heres a little about the NEPAS The NEPA analysis will be focused on the proposed action but it will be scoped, and therefore the ansswe to your question will be the results of the scoping meetings na d 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. Sop we'll be more prepared to answer that question fully when we get through t with our scoping process. Q You mentioned that it is targeted to the specific action. Are you referring to the decision on COmetitive interrest Is that the specific action A No I'm referring to the unsolicited proposal that BOEM receivewd from Statoil 12:35 Aditi. Any other questions? Q Ron Huber; How does this process stack up with the process for your hywind project off Norway A. Megan Kaiser Statoil. The only HYwind demo is just a singel demo off the coast of Norway so it is difficult to compare. We feel confident we'vbe been having a good dialog and with the task foprce and feel its progressing well. Q Ron Huber The fishermen do not think they been getting connected very well. A ADITI; tHAT SHOULD BE SUBJECT FOR STATOILS MEETING NOT THIS ONE. Q. Was there anyone from the municipalities at the task force meeting? a. Yes, Bruce McDonald was there, ____(denise?___ was there. Chris Rector was not there. The County commissioner Jean Cloutier was there. Representative MIchaud's staffer Rosemary Winslow and a rep of Senator Collins CarolWoodcock. We had Jim ___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 apprporiate 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? A. BOEM: Then there will be an approporiate environmental review under NEPA for that process. Q. Ernst: 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 therough 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 wee'll complete the environmental analysis based on the entirety of the proposed project - from lease issuance all the way throughn decommissioning. The other possiblity. 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 Adidi: Are there any more questions before we rap up? (15 second silence) A (multiple p;ersons) Thank you.