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Environmental Considerations for Offshore Wind Development

Megan Brunatti, Director, Office of Permitting & Project Navigation

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�����������NJDEP’S ROLE IN OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT�

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The construction and connection of offshore wind-related infrastructure on land and in water will require significant review and numerous DEP permits or approvals to ensure resources are protected.

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  • Wind Farm
  • Export cables
  • Onshore transmission
  • Substations
  • Port facilities

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

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Stages of Leasing and Development – Environmental Review and Decision Points

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

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Proposed Schedule Overview

Est. 12 months

Est. 7 months

Est. 5 months

2 years or less

Constructions and Operations Plan Review and Public Comment Process

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

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DEP Regulatory Oversight�

    • Coastal Lands
    • Aquatic and Benthic Species and Vegetation
    • Coastal Wetlands and Freshwater Wetlands
    • Riparian Zones
    • T&E species habitat
    • Fish and fisheries
    • Marine mammals, Sea Turtles
    • Birds, Bats
    • Water Quality
    • Air Quality
    • Encumbered lands
    • Historic and archaeologic resources

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Federal Consistency

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Federal consistency is the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requirement that federal actions that have reasonably foreseeable effects on any land or water use or natural resource of a state’s coastal zone must be consistent with the enforceable policies of that state’s federally-approved Coastal Management Plan.

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NJ Wind Port ��DEP Review

Phase 1 currently under review:

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  • Waterfront development both on land and in water and,
  • Avoidance and minimization of wetlands impacts and impacts to T&E species habitat.
  • Permit for dredging requires sediment sampling analysis to ensure that impacts to fish and marine life are avoided or minimized.
  • Also, under review by USACE and other agencies in consultation

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Coordination with Federal Partners

NJDEP

USCG

BOEM

NOAA

USFW

NMFS

ACOE

EPA

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OREC Application Review�Supporting NJBPU

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          • Environmental Protection Plans

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          • Fisheries Protection Plans

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          • Regional Research and Monitoring Funding

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�A DEP Team of Resource Experts Will Review:

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Environmental Protection Plans

  • Discussion of impacts
  • Innovative mitigation measures
  • Transparent reporting of findings
  • Commitments to fund marine wildlife research
  • Reporting of how stakeholder concerns are addressed
  • Visual impact assessment
  • Wildlife monitoring plans

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Fisheries Protection Plans

  • Scientifically rigorous description of marine resources
  • Plan to detect impacts
  • Mitigation plan
  • Description of baseline and monitoring data to be collected
  • Commitments to fund fisheries research related to assessment and avoidance of impacts.
  • Plans for efficient and safe access to fishing grounds

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Coordination�with Offshore Wind Developers

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  • Ongoing review of activities in state waters and onshore; such as: proposed cable routes and landings, substation locations and O&M port planning.
  • Review parameters of studies that are being undertaken, such as for red knot and shore birds
  • Make recommendations for fisheries monitoring

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NJ Environmental Resources Working Group

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The goal of the Working Group is collaborative and transparent engagement throughout the process of offshore wind development in NJ.

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  • Environmental/Conservation NGOs
  • Commercial and Recreational Fisheries
  • Federal/State Partners

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Regional Coordination

  • ROSA- Regional Offshore Science Alliance
  • RWSE- Regional Wildlife Science Entity
  • MARCO – Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean
  • NYSERDA - NY State Research and Development Authority
  • CSO -Coastal States Organization
  • Interstate Offshore Wind and Fisheries Coordination

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Regional Research & Monitoring Funds

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Applicants will be required to commit financial and technical support to research initiatives and the regional monitoring of wildlife and fisheries related to the introduction of offshore wind projects with a $10,000 per megawatt of project nameplate capacity fee. NJDEP and BPU will collaborate with the selected Applicant, research institutions, industry, regional monitoring organizations and members of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Environmental Resources Working Group to identify and prioritize research and monitoring needs.

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  • NJDEP Offshore Wind

https://www.nj.gov/dep/aqes/offhsorewind.html

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COMING SOON…

A new and improved webpage with updated and timely information for stakeholders and interested parties.

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Thank You!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

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Technology for Understanding Offshore Wind and the Environment

Joseph Brodie (he/him/his)

Time for Turbines

27 January 2021

jbrodie@rutgers.edu

Center for Ocean Observing Leadership

Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences

School of Environmental and Biological Sciences

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46 Site CODAR Network

~ 500 Glider Deployments

L-Band & X-Band Satellite Receivers

3-D Nowcasts

& Forecasts

+ Many More!

Rutgers University - Center for Ocean Observing Leadership

MARACOOS – A forum to bring forward the best science & technology

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Essential Ocean Feature: Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool

Summer Temperature

Winter Temperature

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Atmospheric Modeling with RU-WRF

8.5 to 10 m/s

Wind Resource:

3 Year Mean

48% to 55%

  • Daily weather model run since 2011, generates hourly output
  • Includes key ocean temperature data
  • Used for research on hurricanes and sea breezes
  • Assessment of NJ’s offshore wind resource

Hurricane Florence

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Supporting Fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic Bight:

It takes a Community �

Fishery Scientists/Ecologists

Fishing Industry

Physical and Biological Oceanographers

Fisheries Management

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Human Dimensions

OpenOcean Partnership

PI: Dr. Josh Kohut, RUCOOL

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Using REMUS to Monitor Fish

PI: Dr. Thomas Grothues, RUMFS

Black Sea Bass Space Use

2 months, 5 tagged specimen

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SEFES:

A Spatially explicit, Ecological,

agent-based Fisheries and Economic Simulator

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PI: Dr. Daphne Munroe, RU Haskin

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ECO-PAM: Technology to Protect the Right Whale

https://go.rutgers.edu/ECO-PAM

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Tracking Weather and Climate �While Listening for Whales

Right Whale Detections

Nov-Dec 2020

Coastal Upwelling During the Summer

Satellite Sea Sfc Temp, 11 August 2020

https://go.rutgers.edu/ECO-PAM

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Environmentally Responsible Offshore Wind:

Protecting the North Atlantic right whale���

Panel 2: Addressing Fishing and Environmental Concerns

Time for Turbines 4

January 27, 2021

Francine Kershaw, Ph.D., Natural Resource Defense Council

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Advancing “environmentally responsible” offshore wind

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All forms of electricity generation have some degree of environmental impact, including on marine mammals

Challenges during pre-construction & construction include:

    • Noise may interfere with marine mammals’ ability to navigate, communicate, and locate food, and may cause temporary habitat abandonment
    • Ship strikes can lead to mortality and serious injury

Challenges during operation include:

    • Ship strike risk continues throughout the lifetime of the project
    • Habitat displacement may occur due to operational noise or the presence of turbines in the water column

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There are still

many unknowns!

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Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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North Atlantic right whales are declining rapidly - protecting every whale is important to the recovery of the species���

~356 individuals at the end of 2019

Source: NARWC 2020 Report Card

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Best management practices for the industry���

https://www.nrdc.org/resources/best-management-practices-north-atlantic-right-whales-during-offshore-wind-energy

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  1. Site selection
  2. Seasonal and temporal restrictions on construction
  3. Monitoring exclusion zones during construction
  4. Vessel speed restriction for the lifetime of the project
  5. Reduction of underwater noise during construction
  6. Commitment to scientific research and long-term monitoring
  7. Contribution to species conservation efforts

Best management practices for the industry���

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    • Reduces co-occurrence of right whales with development activities
    • Minimizes impacts especially on the most vulnerable right whale cohorts: foraging animals, pregnant females, and mom-calf pairs
    • Lessens effect on development since right whale seasonality coincides largely with bad-weather months
    • Provides flexibility to developers
    • Proactive step to remove a roadblock to development early on

Mutual benefits for marine mammals and industry

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  • Goal: develop mitigation measures to protect the North Atlantic right whale while facilitating construction and operations activities related to offshore wind energy development

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  • Scope:

-Construction, Operations & Maintenance

-Specific to Vineyard Wind’s first 800 MW project in lease area OCS-A-501 off Massachusetts

-Most effective mitigation is to separate development activity from animals

-Enhanced monitoring during times of likely NARW presence

-Special attention to moms and calves

Process:

-Negotiation between Vineyard Wind and three environmental NGOS

-Informed every step of the way by scientific experts

Working collaboratively to meet these challenges: Developing NARW mitigation measures

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Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit 20556-01

https://www.nrdc.org/resources/vineyard-wind-agreement-protective-measures-north-atlantic-right-whales

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Thank you!

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