According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word “mitigation” is defined as “the process or result of making something less severe, dangerous, painful, harsh, or damaging.” Thus on June 23 when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of draft guidance on mitigating potential impacts of offshore wind development on commercial and recreational fishing, the federal agency tasked with guiding offshore wind development was inviting the public to review and comment on the their plans lessen future damage to recreational fishing.
“This draft mitigation document is the next step in the development of guidance for offshore wind companies that was begun in the winter of 2021 through a Request for Information from the fishing industry, government agencies, non-government organizations, and the general public, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),” BOEM stated in their official release announcing a 60-day public review and comment period on the draft guidance, which will end at 11:59 p.m. on August 22, 2022.
“Fishing communities and fisheries stakeholders are critical to our offshore energy development process, and we’re looking forward to discussions on this draft guidance,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “We’re seeking open and honest conversations focused on finding solutions to potential challenges as we work to provide clean, safe domestic energy for American taxpayers while at the same time providing good-paying jobs and building a U.S. supply chain to support this effort.”
The draft guidance provides detailed processes and methodologies to the offshore wind industry and lessees to mitigate impacts to fisheries in the areas of project siting, design, navigation, access, safety, and financial compensation. BOEM will hold a series of public meetings to discuss the contents of the draft guidance and hear from commercial and recreational fishermen firsthand. The East Coast meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11 from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Registration for the meetings and additional information can be found on BOEM’s website.
While these meetings are focused on obtaining input from the fishing industry and recreational fishers, they are open to the public and anyone can provide comments via regulations.gov.
“We want feedback on the entirety of mitigation framework, from facility design considerations to recommendations on compensatory mitigation, particularly from the people and organizations that this guidance is meant to aid,” said BOEM Marine Biologist Brian Hooker.
For more information about the draft guidance, how to register for the fisheries mitigation workshops, and how to submit comments, visit BOEM’s website.
No official word yet as to the “mitigation” strategies from the often “dangerous, painful, harsh, or damaging” effects that BOEM and NMFS have on actual fishing.
