Siting, Wildlife & Environmental Monitoring
Steven MacLeod
Environmental Scientist
WSP (formerly Ecology & Environment)
Presentation Description: Co-authors: Sarah Courbis, Advisian (Worley Group); Kate Williams and Julia Gulka, Biodiversity Research Institute; Morgan Brunbauer and Kate McClellan-Press, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
As part of the implementation phase of New York State’s Offshore Wind Master Plan, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) established an Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) and Fisheries Technical Working Group (F-TWG) to advise New York State in the responsible development of offshore wind energy. The E-TWG and F-TWG are encouraged to pursue several activities, including the evaluation of mitigation and monitoring practices (MMPs) to effectively reduce or avoid impacts on environmental resources and fisheries activities that could result from offshore wind development. To support these efforts, NYSERDA developed a Mitigation and Monitoring Practices Tool (Tool) that allows a user to sort and download sets of mitigation and monitoring measures that can apply at both broad and project-specific scales. The Tool does not prioritize actions but provides information the User can apply to prioritization, such as measures of effectiveness and types of species affected. The Tool is available via a publicly accessible website for use by all stakeholders to assist in wind energy project planning, particularly in the New York Bight. For example, the Tool can assist offshore wind developers in creating robust environmental and fisheries mitigation plans, which were required as part of New York State’s 2019 offshore wind procurement agreements.