Renewable Energy Modernization Rule

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR <SUBAGY>Bureau of Ocean Energy Management</SUBAGY> <CFR>30 CFR Part 585</CFR> <SUBAGY>Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement</SUBAGY> <CFR>30 CFR Part 285</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. BOEM-2023-0005]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1010-AE04</RIN> <SUBJECT>Renewable Energy Modernization Rule</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Department of the Interior (the Department or DOI), acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) (“the agencies”), is finalizing regulatory amendments to its renewable energy regulations under the authority of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for this final rule was published in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> on January 30, 2023. While the NPRM contemplated amendments only to the Department's existing renewable energy regulations that are administered by BOEM, this final rule also finalizes regulatory amendments previously proposed by BOEM that are now administered by BSEE and includes amendments to regulations resulting from the “Reorganization of Title 30—Renewable Energy and Alternative Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf” direct final rule, issued by the Department on January 31, 2023. This final rule eliminates unnecessary requirements for the deployment of meteorological (met) buoys; increases survey flexibility; improves the project design and installation verification process; establishes a public Renewable Energy Leasing Schedule; reforms BOEM's renewable energy auction regulations; tailors financial assurance requirements and instruments; clarifies safety management system regulations; revises other provisions; and makes technical corrections. This final rule advances the Department's energy policies in a safe and environmentally sound manner that will provide a fair return to the U.S. taxpayer. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This final rule is effective on July 15, 2024. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has established a docket for this action under Docket ID No. BOEM-2023-0005. All documents in the docket are listed on the <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> website and can be found by entering the Docket ID No. in the “Enter Keyword or ID” search box and clicking “search”. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> For questions about this final action regarding 30 CFR parts 585 and 586, contact Nabanita Modak Fischer, Office of Regulations, BOEM, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166, at email address <E T="03">Nabanita.ModakFischer@boem.gov</E> or at telephone number (703) 787-1415; and Karen Thundiyil, Chief, Office of Regulations, BOEM, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240, at telephone number (202) 742-0970 or email address <E T="03">Karen.Thundiyil@boem.gov</E> . For questions about this final action regarding 30 CFR part 285, contact Kirk Malstrom, Chief, Regulations and Standards Branch, BSEE, at telephone number (202) 258-1518 or email address <E T="03">regs@bsee.gov</E> . Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. These services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the point-of-contact. You will receive a reply during normal business hours. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <E T="03">Preamble acronyms and abbreviations.</E> Multiple acronyms and abbreviations are included in this preamble. While this list may not be exhaustive, to ease the reading of this preamble and for reference purposes, the agencies define the following terms and acronyms here: <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ANCSA Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ANSI American National Standards Institute</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">API American Petroleum Institute</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ASLM Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ASSP American Society of Safety Professionals</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">BOEM Bureau of Ocean Energy Management</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">BSEE Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CAA Clean Air Act of 1970</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CAB Conformity Assessment Body</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CBA Community Benefit Agreement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CEQ Council on Environmental Quality</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CFR Code of Federal Regulations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">COP Construction and Operations Plan</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CRA Congressional Review Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CSSCR Critical Safety Systems Commissioning Records</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CSSE Critical Safety Systems and Equipment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CVA Certified Verification Agent</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CZM Coastal Zone Management</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Department U.S. Department of the Interior</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DNCI Determination of No Competitive Interest</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DNV Det Norske Veritas</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DM Departmental Manual</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DOE U.S. Department of Energy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DOI U.S. Department of the Interior</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EA Environmental Assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EBM Ecosystem-based Management</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EIS Environmental Impact Statement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">E.O. Executive Order</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EPAct Energy Policy Act of 2005</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ESA Endangered Species Act of 1973</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ESP Environmental Studies Program</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FCC Federal Consistency Certification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FDR Facility Design Report</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FIR Fabrication and Installation Report</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FOIA Freedom of Information Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FOWT Floating Offshore Wind Turbines</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FR Federal Register</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FSN Final Sale Notice</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">G&G Geological and Geophysical</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GAP General Activities Plan</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GHG Greenhouse Gas</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IBLA Interior Board of Land Appeals (U.S. Department of the Interior)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IC Information Collection</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IEC Inclusive Engineering Consortium</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IECRE IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Renewable Energy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IRA Inflation Reduction Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ISO Independent System Operator</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">LPA Labor Peace Agreement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MACO Mid-Atlantic Council on the Ocean</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MMS Minerals Management Service</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MOU Memorandum of Understanding</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NAGPRA Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NCCOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NEPA National Environmental Policy Act of 1969</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NHPA National Historic Preservation Act of 1966</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NMSA National Marine Sanctuaries Act of 1972</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NONC Notice of Noncompliance</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NROC Northeast Regional Ocean Council</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NPRM Notice of proposed rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NRSRO Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NTL Notice to Lessee</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NWP Nationwide Permit</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OCS Outer Continental Shelf</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OCSLA Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OIRA Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OMB Office of Management and Budget</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ONRR Office of Natural Resources Revenue</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OSRP Oil Spill Response Plan</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> OSW Offshore Wind </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PATON Private Aids to Navigation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PDE Project Design Envelope</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PEIS Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PLA Project Labor Agreement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PPA Power Purchase Agreement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PRA Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PSN Proposed Sale Notice</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Pub. L. Public Law</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PVR Project Verification Report</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RFA Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RFI Request for Information</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RHA Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RIA Regulatory Impact Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RNA Rotor-nacelle Assembly</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ROP Regional Ocean Partnerships</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ROW  Right-of-Way</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RTO Regional Transmission Organization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RUE Right-of-Use-and-Easement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">S&P Standard and Poor's</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SAP Site Assessment Plan</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SBREFA Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fair ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 1180k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━