The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released on Thursday its final analysis of the environmental impact of leasing Central Atlantic coast areas for offshore wind development near Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said, "BOEM continues to support clean energy transition responsibly in the Central Atlantic Region."

We will continue to work with Tribes and our other government partners as well as ocean users and the public in order to ensure that all development in the area is done in such a way to avoid, reduce, or mitigate potential impacts on ocean users and marine environment.

According to the BOEM release, BOEM will hold a lease sale in Central Atlantic later this summer. A final sale notice, which includes the date and time of the lease sale as well as qualified participants, will be published 30 days before the sale.

Early December of last year, the Department of the Interior proposed a lease sale of offshore wind energy areas in the Central Atlantic region and offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia.

According to the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists are still investigating potential impacts that offshore wind energy development could have on marine life. Site assessment, construction and operations can increase ocean noise which may affect fish and whales' navigation and mating behaviors. (Reporting and editing by Aurora Ellis in Bengaluru, Rahul Paswan)