Tricia Jedele | Atlantic Coast offshore wind policy manager, The Nature Conservancy
1. This is a new position for The Nature Conservancy. What does it entail? My job is to ensure that states on the Eastern Seaboard have the tools and an understanding of how to site offshore wind in an environmentally sound manner. Offshore wind is critical to meeting emissions targets, but the cumulative impacts of hundreds of turbines in the ocean can be significant. … Coordinating our knowledge to avoid or mitigate potentially negative impacts will be central to my role.
2. How does your experience representing local fishing groups in Vineyard Wind negotiations prepare you for this job? Listening. Stakeholder input is key to the long-term success of offshore wind and to the sustainability of historic ocean uses. Listening to colleagues and partners will be important in developing policies on habitat and species protection, and fair compensation to the commercial fishing industry.
3. Are there elements of already-approved projects that you think could be changed or improved upon for future projects? More data. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management should require more-fulsome baseline surveys, at least two years of site characterization studies pre-construction. If developers are required to provide this information, the pre- and post-construction impacts to the fisheries and habitats can be measured, and compensation and mitigation more easily and better designed.
4. What is the right balance between achieving clean energy goals through offshore wind and preserving the natural habitats and livelihoods tied to the ocean? Today, a developer comes in with a proposal to site turbines anywhere in a federal lease area. Then it’s up to conservationists to try to win protections for endangered species and ocean habitat, and boat captains to defend their traditional fishing grounds or negotiate compensation. These considerations should be built into each project at the start.
5. The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council has come under scrutiny recently, including for its certification for South Fork Wind. Is the CRMC process working? It depends on who you ask. And that’s the problem. We have a plan that includes protections for critical habitat areas and requires mitigation where impacts to those areas are unavoidable. But what is meant by “unavoidable” and “appropriate mitigation,” unfortunately, is open to relatively wide interpretation.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
