DOE Publishes Environmental Assessment for LEEDCo's Icebreaker Project

Oct. 1, 2018

Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, DOE published a final Environmental Assessment for Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation's (LEEDCo's) Icebreaker project—one of two projects in DOE's Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Program. The project is planned to include up to six wind turbines in Lake Erie, approximately 8 miles off Cleveland, Ohio, as well as the necessary electrical transmission facilities (i.e., underwater and underground cable) to connect the turbines to the Cleveland Public Power Lake Road Substation.

The final Environmental Assessment was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard and identifies and analyzes the potential impacts to the human environment that may occur if DOE authorizes the expenditure of federal funding in support of the project. Based on the analysis presented in the report, DOE has determined that providing federal funding to LEEDCo in support of Project Icebreaker would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. As such, DOE has also issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed action.