In this webinar, wind energy experts will present a high-level summary of decision-making processes for offshore wind energy siting and permitting. As part of WINDExchange’s Offshore Wind Energy Basics webinar series, this webinar will focus on the points at which community leaders, property owners, coastal residents, and other local stakeholders can meaningfully engage with these processes.
Attendees will learn about offshore wind decision-making processes at the federal, state, and local level, as well as how to connect the dots across agencies and processes. This will help prepare attendees for the next webinar in this series, which will highlight additional opportunities for community engagement in the offshore wind energy development process.
Speakers at the webinar, which is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office’s WINDExchange initiative, represent the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Rhode Island, and the Special Initiative for Offshore Wind and include:
- Karen Baker, chief of the Office of Renewable Energy Programs at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
- Jennifer McCann, director of U.S. Coastal Programs at the University of Rhode Island
- Kris Ohleth, executive director at the Special Initiative for Offshore Wind
- Suzanne MacDonald, senior researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.