WASHINGTON, D.C. –  A newly released collaborative research plan offers a blueprint to better understand impacts to wildlife and ecosystems from offshore wind development on the East Coast. The plan was developed by the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind (RWSC), a collaboration between federal agencies, state governments, environmental experts, and offshore wind industry leaders.

“Offshore wind offers a path toward clean energy that powers homes, supports local economies, and addresses the greatest threat to humans and wildlife alike – climate change,” said Shayna Steingard, senior policy specialist for the National Wildlife Federation’s offshore wind program and a member of the RWSC steering committee. “As we strive to meet our climate and clean energy goals with offshore wind, we must ensure that we understand and mitigate negative impacts on wildlife. This landmark plan outlines the science and data that policymakers, industry leaders, and communities need to deploy a wildlife-responsible offshore wind industry along the Atlantic coast.”  

The recommendations in the research plan will result in independent and peer-reviewed science that will help guide responsible offshore wind development along the Atlantic coast in order to mitigate harms to wildlife. The plan also calls for improved and consistent data monitoring across projects and states to provide a more holistic view of wildlife impacts across the region, rather than solely on a project-scale. The recommendations in the plan were developed by hundreds of policy, science, and industry experts in collaboration with community feedback. 

Learn more about the National Wildlife Federation’s work to advance responsibly developed offshore wind power.