The Office of Advocacy will host a roundtable to discuss the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s draft guidance regarding mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on fisheries. The roundtable will take place virtually on Thursday, August 4, 2022, from 2-3 p.m. (ET). Roundtable participation details will be provided upon receipt of RSVP. RSVPs should be sent to Prianka.Sharma@sba.gov. If you wish to provide comments during the roundtable, please indicate this in your RSVP. The purpose of the roundtable will be to gather small entity input and feedback on the issue for discussion.
Agenda
2 p.m. – 2:05 p.m. Introductory Remarks
Prianka Sharma, Assistant Chief Counsel, Office of Advocacy
Dr. Elisabeth Newcomb, Regulatory Economist, Office of Advocacy
2:05 p.m.- 3 p.m. Input from Interested Small Entity Representatives
Please note: Participation in the roundtable does not substitute for written comments to the agency directly. Interested parties are encouraged to submit their comments to the rulemaking docket by the deadline.
Roundtable meetings are open to all interested persons, with the exception of the press, in order to facilitate open and frank discussion about the impacts of Federal regulatory activities on small entities. Agendas and presentations are available to all, including the press. Anyone who wants to receive roundtable agendas or presentations, or to be included in the distribution list, should forward such requests to prianka.sharma@sba.gov. The purpose of these roundtable meetings is to exchange opinions, facts, and information and to obtain the attendees’ individual views and opinions regarding small entity concerns. The meetings are not intended to achieve or communicate any consensus positions of the attendees.
Small Entity Natural Resources Roundtable
Issue for Discussion
August 4, 2022
BOEM Seeks Comments on Draft Fisheries Mitigation Guidance
On June 23, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a draft fisheries mitigation guidance. Renewable energy lessees are required by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to submit information on potential impacts of their projects on commercial fishing. They must also provide mitigation measures for avoiding, minimizing, reducing, eliminating, and monitoring environmental impacts. The purpose of BOEM’s draft guidance is to outline a recommended approach for developing mitigation measures, including but not limited to safety measures, compensation, monitoring, and the duration of the mitigation period. BOEM is soliciting comments and feedback from the public on the draft.
Advocacy is hosting a roundtable to gather small entity comments and feedback on the draft guidance. Interested participants may RSVP at prianka.sharma@sba.gov. Oral comments presented during the roundtable will not substitute for written comments directly to BOEM.
Written comments are due by August 22, 2022.
- Read the draft guidance document.
- Submit written comments on the draft guidance.
- Advocacy contact: Prianka Sharma or at (202) 205-6938.