New York State Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG)

Beginning in 2018, NYSERDA, with technical support from BRI, has held a series of State of the Science Workshops on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy. These workshops bring together stakeholders engaged with environmental and wildlife research relevant to offshore wind energy development, to promote coordination in efforts along the east coast of the United States.

The second State of the Science Workshop focused on understanding cumulative impacts. This workshop was a completely virtual event held on November 16-20, 2020. The Workshop was a great success with over 460 attendees from 20 countries and 21 states in the U.S., 23 plenary speakers, and 20 lightning talks. Workshop efforts focused on assessing the state of the knowledge regarding offshore wind development’s cumulative effects on wildlife populations and ecosystems, and working to identify key studies that can be conducted in the next 3-5 years to improve our understanding of such issues as the wind industry continues to develop in the U.S. Following these plenary sessions, seven workgroups formed and produced reports to identify research priorities for understanding offshore wind’s cumulative impacts on sea turtles, marine mammals, fish and aquatic invertebrates, birds, benthos, bats, and oceanographic change.

The first State of the Science Workshop was held on November 13-14, 2018. This workshop brought together stakeholders engaged with environmental and wildlife research relevant to offshore wind energy development, to promote coordination and collaboration in efforts along the eastern seaboard from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

Under the direction of New York State and the E-TWG, topically-focused Specialist Committees bring together science-based subject matter expertise to develop collaborative guidelines or other products that inform or advance the environmentally responsible development of offshore wind. Currently there are two active Specialist Committees.

Whale Communications Committee

A specialist committee, made up of thirteen subject matter experts, has been convened under the auspices of the New York State Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG), to improve coordination, communication, and transparency related to topics such as the recent whale strandings, offshore wind development activities, and potential marine mammal impacts from offshore wind. Committee members represent a variety of sectors including offshore wind developers, government agencies, and environmental nonprofit organizations. To achieve the objectives listed above, the committee, with scientific support from the Biodiversity Research Institute, has been working to develop an FAQ (frequently asked questions) document to aid in the dissemination of current, accurate, and readily understandable information around recent whale mortality events and the level of potential risk to whales from offshore wind energy development activities. The FAQ development process includes multiple rounds of expert review from experts external to the committee, as well as by the E-TWG.

Regional Synthesis Workgroup

An expert workgroup under the purview of the Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) developed guidance for regional research and monitoring of offshore wind energy and wildlife in the eastern United States to inform study plans and the allocation of funding for regional research and monitoring. The workgroup developed two products, which were released in 2023:

• ​Responsible Practices for Regional Wildlife Monitoring and Research in Relation to Offshore Wind Development: This written guidance focuses on recommendations for regional research and includes definitions of common terminology to support regional communications, suggested criteria for prioritization of regional research topics, and general recommendations on study design and data transparency for regional-scale research efforts.
• View Recommendations
• View 2-page Summary

• ​U.S. Atlantic Offshore Wind Environmental Research Recommendations Database: This database compiles and synthesizes existing data gaps and research needs identified from existing sources (e.g., State of the Science Workgroups, federal and state agency efforts, previous E-TWG Specialist Committees) so that researchers and funders can easily access, sort, and prioritize topics. The database specifies focal taxa, spatial scale, and other information relating to each priority research topic.
• View Database

Avian Displacement Guidance Committee

The E-TWG, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is supporting development of guidance for pre- and post-construction monitoring to detect macro-to meso-scale changes in avian distributions and habitat use in relation to offshore wind development. An expert Specialist Committee co-chaired by USFWS and BOEM biologists is developing guidance that identifies 1) key displacement- and attraction-related questions, 2) appropriate methodologies to address those questions, and 3) study design and analytical recommendations specifically for boat-based and aerial surveys.

This effort is intended to:

• Encourage consistency in pre- and post-construction monitoring across projects,
• Facilitate use of site-specific data to address information gaps on displacement of birds at regional scales,
• Improve efficiency and thus reduce costs of monitoring,
• Reduce duplicative efforts,
• Ensure generation of meaningful results, and
• Address knowledge gaps that could inform the broader understanding of potential cumulative impacts from offshore wind development.

Birds and Bat Research Framework Report
NYSERDA is funding the development of a scientific research framework to guide the long term study of potential impacts to birds and bats from offshore wind energy development in the eastern United States. This collaborative effort includes input from a range of stakeholders, including scientists, environmental nonprofits, regulators, and offshore wind energy developers. A working meeting was convened on March 4-6, 2020, to inform the development of the scientific research framework. A meeting summary from the workshop currently is available at www.nyetwg.com/bird-bat-research-framework and subject matter experts are currently developing a scientific manuscript on the effort.

The 2020 State of the Science Workshop Proceedings
This 43-page summary of the second State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy Development held in November 2020 covers the plenary sessions in detail, as well as synthesizes key research and coordination needs, drawing from plenaries, workgroup discussions, and workgroup reports. Download proceedings.

Wildlife Data Standardization and Sharing: Environmental Data Transparency for New York State Offshore Wind Energy (2021)
This report is intended to facilitate transparency and sharing of non-proprietary environmental data for offshore wind energy development, including projects selling power to New York State, by reviewing key wildlife-focused databases to which data owners can submit their raw data or derived data products. Focused efforts will make the submitted data as useful and accessible for future analyses, create future efficiencies, and ensure decision-makers have the best information available to manage this growing industry. Download here.

The Dynamic Ocean: Offshore Wind Energy and Other Activities in the New York Bight (2019)
Offshore wind in the U.S. is being introduced into a highly dynamic and human-influenced system. This 20-page public report summarizes the environmental impacts of offshore wind and other human activities in the marine environment in the New York Bight, and reviews the state’s approaches for understanding and minimizing conflicts among human uses while protecting natural resources. Download Report

The 2018 State of the Science Workshop Proceedings
This 83-page summary of the first State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy Development held in November 2018 covers the plenary and poster presentations in detail, as well as discussing key findings and knowledge gaps. Download proceedings

NYSERDA Environmental Research Program Plan Research Area 4: Marine Wind and Wildlife (2015)
This research plan was developed with input from state and federal regulators, academia, nonprofit organizations, industry, and other stakeholders, and identified key environmental information gaps and research needs for marine wind energy development offshore of New York State. Specifically, the report aims to identify immediate, urgent information needs to ensure that offshore research and monitoring efforts are orchestrated to address the data gaps of greatest need for New York State. Download Report

Advancing the Environmentally Responsible Development of Offshore Wind Energy in New York State: A Regulatory Review and Stakeholder Perceptions (2015)
This report describes the landscape for federal and State environmental and permitting regulations related to offshore wind development in New York State, and summarizes stakeholder perspectives on how to improve or clarify those regulations. The contents of this report were derived through a collaborative process involving a diverse group of federal regulators and managers, State regulators and managers, offshore wind developers, environmental consultants, and national and State-specific eNGOs. Download Report