New York Environmental Technical Working Group

Announcements

State of the Science Culmination Webinar

On May 21, the Culmination Webinar was held for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts. Following plenary presentations in November 2020, seven workgroups formed to identify research priorities for understanding offshore wind's cumulative impacts on sea turtles, marine mammals, fishes and aquatic invertebrates, benthos, birds, bats, and oceanographic processes in the eastern United States. The webinar brought together the leads from the seven workgroups to present the groups' recommendations and discuss common themes. Learn more.

30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. As part of the Biden-Harris administration's goals of increasing renewable energy development, Interior, Energy and Commerce have established a target to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, creating nearly 80,000 jobs. In addition, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has identified nearly 800,000 acres between Long Island and the New Jersey Coast as Wind Energy Areas. The agency will now initiate an environmental review, with public input, on these areas in federal waters for potential offshore wind leasing. Learn more.

Bird and Bat Scientific Research Framework Workshop Report Available

NYSERDA convened a working meeting March 2020 to inform the development of a scientific research framework to guide the long-term study of potential impacts to birds and bats from offshore wind energy development in the eastern United States. View Workshop Report. This collaborative effort includes input from a range of stakeholders, including scientists, environmental nonprofits, regulators, and offshore wind energy developers. Learn More.

Events

29 June 2021

Virtual E-TWG Meeting

The New York State Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) is a team of stakeholders that provides advice on how to advance offshore wind energy development in environmentally responsible ways.

What is the Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG)?

The E-TWG is an independent advisory body to the State of New York with a regional focus on offshore wind and wildlife issues in the eastern U.S. It is comprised of offshore wind developers and science-based environmental non-government organizations (NGOs), as well as state and federal wildlife regulatory agencies.

Mission

The E-TWG helps promote environmentally responsible advancement of offshore wind development through (1) regional collaboration and (2) advice and guidance to New York State.

E-TWG Objectives

Improve our understanding of, and ability to manage for, potential effects of offshore wind energy development on wildlife.
Develop transparent, collaborative processes for identifying and addressing priority issues relating to wildlife monitoring and mitigation.
Reduce permitting risk and uncertainty for developers by improving clarity in expectations and processes for wildlife monitoring and mitigation.

Who We Are

The E-TWG is led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and includes offshore wind developers with active leases between Massachusetts and North Carolina; science-based environmental NGOs with expertise on offshore wind energy issues; state agency representatives from Massachusetts to Virginia; and federal agencies with offshore wind and wildlife jurisdiction. Learn more

E-TWG Charter

The Charter describes the mission, objectives, and tasks proposed for the Environmental Technical Working Group. Learn more