Abstract
This report describes the objectives and methodology of the State’s planning process, and identifies the 20 studies the State undertook to gather data on environmental, social, economic, regulatory, and infrastructure issues relevant to offshore wind energy development. These studies, conducted over the last two years, inform the path toward achieving the State’s goals, and cover a wide variety of topics related to siting, regulatory, wildlife, commercial, economic, and other important considerations. This section also reviews the State’s extensive outreach efforts with interested agencies, entities, communities, and individuals, which helped achieve a balanced evaluation of the potential for offshore wind development.