Issued by Interior Department
In accordance with the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the MMS is announcing the availability of the ROD for the Cape Wind Energy Project (the Project). The ROD for the Project records the decisions that the MMS reached to select the Preferred Alternative at Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound described in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (January 2009). After careful consideration of all the concerns expressed during the lengthy review and consultation process and thorough analyses of the many factors involved, the Secretary approved the ROD finding that the public benefits weigh in favor of approving the Cape Wind Project at the Horseshoe Shoal location. The MMS will offer a commercial lease to Cape Wind Associates, LLC (CWA) in response to CWA's application. The CWA's rights to construct and operate the Project pursuant to the lease are subject to construction and operation approvals from the MMS. The Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) and the Director of the MMS co-signed the ROD for the Project on April 28, 2010. In accordance with the regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), the public is also notified that on April 28, 2010, the Secretary responded to the April 2, 2010, comments of the ACHP concerning the Project. The ACHP provided comments to the Secretary following his termination of the Section 106 consultation on March 1, 2010. The Secretary's response explains his decision and indicates how the ACHP's comments were taken into account in his consideration of the effects of the project on historical and cultural resources. The Secretary provides a detailed response for each of the ACHP's comments and recommendations.
This is a factual description of what was issued or decided — not an assessment of it.
