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How offshore wind projects are reviewed: BOEM, CRMC, DEM and BSEE explained
Summary
State and federal agencies each play separate roles: CRMC handles broad state‑waters reviews and federal consistency, DEM issues water‑quality and dredge permits, BOEM leads federal leasing and NEPA review, and BSEE enforces many federal permit conditions.
Julia Livermore, a biologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Division of Marine Fisheries, walked the audience through the multi‑layer permitting process for offshore wind.
"They would submit a it's called a SAP, a site assessment plan, to BOEM, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management," Livermore said, describing the early federal step that precedes detailed design. She explained that BOEM issues call areas, solicits competitive interest, and then moves to lease areas; once developers propose construction and operations plans BOEM prepares NEPA documents (notices of intent and environmental impact statements) with opportunities for public comment.
Livermore also described state roles: DEM issues a water‑quality certificate and dredge permits limited to impacts in state waters, while the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) runs a broader Category B process for cables and ocean uses and retains federal‑consistency authority in some offshore areas. She said the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is generally responsible for enforcing federal construction and operational permit conditions and monitoring requirements after permits are issued.
