About Us

Who We Are

Environmental Technical Working Group

The Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) is comprised of:

Advisory members. Developers with lease holdings that are geographically relevant to the State of New York; science-based environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with expertise in wildlife and offshore wind issues; and one non-partisan NGO with membership that includes both developers and environmental NGOs.
Observers. Federal agencies, as well as state agencies from New York and other regional states. Observer members provide their expertise and technical input, coordinate with ongoing regulatory processes, and report information from group discussions back to their respective organizations, but are not directly involved in making recommendations to the State.

Current Membership

Developers:

Avangrid Renewables
EDF Renewables
Equinor
Ørsted
Shell New Energies
US Wind
Vineyard Wind

Environmental NGOs:

Audubon New York
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife Conservation Society

Nonpartisan NGOs:

New York Offshore Wind Alliance

State Government:

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environ. Protection
Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
Massachusetts Dept. of State
New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
New York Dept. of State
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality

Federal Government:

Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management
National Marine Fisheries Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Specialist Committees

Specialist Committees (SCs) address issues that the E-TWG has designated as priorities. Committee products, along with E-TWG input on those products, inform decision making by New York state agencies. SCs include both E-TWG and non-E-TWG members with relevant expertise. Current specialist committees are focused on:

Developing guidance for the minimization and mitigation of offshore wind energy impacts to focal taxa
- Birds and bats
- Marine mammals and sea turtles
Developing a scientific research framework for the study of offshore wind impacts on birds and bats
Regional coordination through State of the Science workshops

Support Staff

BRI (led by Kate Williams and Julia Gulka) provides technical support, coordination, and management for the E-TWG and committees
The Consensus Building Institute and Cadmus provide meeting preparation and facilitation services
NYSERDA provides financial, event planning, and other support as needed, and coordinates between the E-TWG and other New York Technical Working Groups