Notice of MEPA Site Visit - NE Wind Connector1
From: Strysky, Alexander (ENV) [mailto:alexander.strysky@state.ma.us]
Sent: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 11:22 PM
Subject: Notice of MEPA Site Visit and Consultation Session - EEA 16611 New England Wind 2 Connector
- Barnstable, Edgartown, Mashpee and Nantucket
NOTICE OF MEPA SITE VISIT AND CONSULTATION SESSION AND COMMENT
PERIOD EXTENSION
EEA 16611 New England Wind 2 Connector - Barnstable, Edgartown, Mashpee
and Nantucket
Project Description: An Environmental Notification Form (ENF) (please note: this is a
link to only a small portion of the ENF; see below to obtain a full copy) has been filed
with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs by Commonwealth Wind,
LLC to construct electric transmission cables from an offshore wind farm to be
constructed approximately 20 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard to a new substation in
Barnstable. Project components include: a) three 275 -kilovolt (kV) offshore export
cables which will generally follow a 47.2 mile long route, of which 21.9 miles is within
state waters, from the proposed Commonwealth Wind generating facility, through
Nantucket Sound to Dowses Beach; b) an approximately 6.7 -mile long underground
duct bank between the Dowses Beach landfall site and a proposed substation off Oak
Street in which the three transmission cables will be placed; c) a new substation on a
15.2-acre site, where the 275-kV voltage will be stepped up to 345-kV; and d) an
approximately 0.4- to 0.5 mile long underground duct bank, which will house
interconnection cables, between the proposed substation and the existing West
Barnstable Substation. The offshore cables will be buried 5 -8 feet beneath the seafloor
using a jet plow or mechanical plow. Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) will be used to
install a conduit between the end of the offshore cable route and a vault in the Dowses
Beach parking lot. The conduit will be installed within a bored hole under the beach and
nearshore costal resources to avoid direct impacts at the surface. The duct bank
between Dowses Beach and the proposed substation will be installed entirely within
public roadway layouts and will generally follow a route using Dowses Beach Road,
East Bay Road, Wianno Avenue, Main Street, Osterville-West Barnstable Road, Old
Falmouth Road, Old Stage Road, Oak Street and Service Road. Between Service Road
and the proposed substation, the duct bank will be installed beneath Route 6 using a
trenchless crossing technique. The project will alter 15.2 acres of land, 183 acres of
Land Under the Ocean (LUO) (including 1.5 acres of land Containing Shellfish), 0.5
acres of Land Subject to Coastal Storm Flowage (LSCSF) and 0.26 acres of Riverfront
Area. The project will add 1.2 acres of impervious area. The offshore cable route
passes through Barnstable, Edgartown, Mashpee and Nantucket; onshore activities are
proposed only in Barnstable.
The project meets the thresholds for filing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) at 301
CMR 11.03(3)(a)(1)(b), alteration of ten or more acres of wetlands and 301 CMR
11.03(7)(a)(4), construction of electric transmission lines with a capacity of 230 or more
kV, provided the transmission lines are five or more miles in length along a new, unused
or abandoned right-of-way. one or more acres of BVW. The project requires a 401
2
Water Quality Certificate and Chapter 91 license and Dredge Permit from the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), approvals from the
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities/Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB),
access permits from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and
potentially a Conservation and Management Permit (CMP) from the Natural Heritage
and Endangered Species Program (NHESP).
The Proponent has requested an extended comment period, which is reflected in the
dates below.
The MEPA Office will conduct a remote site visit on November 15, 2022 and a
hybrid (in-person and remote) consultation session on November 16, 2022. The
public is welcome to participate in both or either one.
Remote site visit: 2:00 PM on Tuesday November 15, 2022. Please see the
meeting link and call-in information below.
Hybrid consultation session: The public consultation session will take place at
6:00 PM on Wednesday November 16, 2022 at the Osterville Village Library, 43
Wianno Avenue. The public may attend the consultation session in person or
remotely by registering in advance here: Webinar Registration - Zoom.
Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese interpretation services are available for the
public consultation session. An interpreter can be requested until November 11,
2022 when registering for the meeting.
MEPA comments due on or before: November 29, 2022
Certificate due: December 9, 2022
Contact for Project Information: Marc Bergeron, (978) 461-6253,
mbergeron@epsilonassociates.com
MEPA Contact: Alex Strysky, (857) 408-6957, alexander.strysky@mass.gov
Comments may be submitted my email to alexander.strysky@mass.gov or via the
MEPA Public Comments Portal.
NOVEMBER 15th REMOTE SITE VISIT INFORMATION:
Microsoft Teams meeting
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Meeting ID: 375 490 059 597
Passcode: XdsNWZ
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Video Conference ID: 124 039 390 9
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Phone Conference ID: 432 378 051#
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Alex Strysky
MEPA Office
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02114
Cell: (857) 408-6957
Please be informed that the MEPA Office has proposed amended
regulations for public comment. Written comments will be accepted until
November 14, 2022.
Please consult the MEPA website for more details.