The NewsRoom
Release: #3534
Date: July 13, 2006

MMS to Extend Comment Period on Cape Wind Energy Project Notice of Intent

Public Given More Time to Provide Input

WASHINGTON – The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is extending the comment period for the Notice of Intent on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Cape Wind Energy Project in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. MMS requests public input via written comments and invites interested agencies to participate in the preparation of the EIS as it moves through the official approval process. A Federal Register notice announcing the extension will be published Monday, July 17, 2006.

The comment period for the Cape Wind EIS will be extended 14 days to close on July 28, 2006, allowing concerned citizens more time to provide input. All comments submitted to MMS, in whatever form or format, carry exactly the same weight and will be incorporated with previous comments that have been obtained through earlier Corps of Engineers comment periods and meetings.

The next phase in the Cape Wind review process is the preparation of the draft EIS, which is expected to be published in the winter of 2006 and will be followed by public hearings. MMS plans to issue a final EIS in the fall of 2007. A record of decision on the Cape Wind Project is expected in winter 2007.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed last August, granted authority to the Interior Department to manage renewable energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and gave the MMS primary responsibility for the environmental analysis and regulatory oversight of such projects, including the proposed Cape Wind Project.

Comments may be submitted to MMS electronically through the Public Connect or may be mailed to:

Comments on the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS on the Cape Wind Project:

Relevant Web Sites:
   MMS Main Website
   Gulf of Mexico Website
   Federal Register Online via GPO Access
   Cape Wind Energy Project
   News Releases

Media Contact:
   Gary Strasburg  202-208-3985
   Nicolette Nye     703-787-1011

MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
 

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