Last month, CSA’s marine mammal and ocean sound director Mary Jo Barkaszi attended the New York State Energy Research and Development (NYSERDA) State of the Science for Offshore Wind workshop held in Long Island, NY, hosted by the Biodiversity Research Institute. The workshop engaged state and federal agencies, offshore wind developers, fisheries, researchers, and consultants in an intensive summary of what is currently known about environmental concerns surrounding offshore wind development. The workshop highlighted several large-scale projects funded by NYSERDA in cooperation with federal agencies as well as case studies from Europe which leveraged 20+ years of experience in offshore wind to the emerging development in US waters.

NYSERDA has been a leader in promoting both science and development in the offshore wind market. The timing of the workshop was ideal given the recent surge in state commitments to power purchase agreements for offshore wind and hugely successful lease sales for wind areas off the eastern seaboard. In response to the workshop attendance, Barkaszi commented, “Clearly, the offshore wind industry is here to stay, and it is an incredibly exciting time to be working with such a progressive industry that will play a large role in clean energy and energy independence.” CSA currently supports several offshore wind projects through and continues to develop capacity in that marketplace. Notably, our recent opening of a New England office will be key in supporting the US offshore wind market for what appears to be many years to come.