Over the next decade, offshore wind power will become a major source of electricity for the United States, fundamentally reshaping the nation’s energy supply. State governments will play a major role in shaping an entirely new energy source and the economy of coastal states as a whole.

The development of this large-scale energy infrastructure has the potential to impact already marginalized communities, including environmental justice communities, low-income communities, and communities of color, in both positive and negative ways. Many states now consider equity an important pillar of their energy policy, and several have begun to incorporate principles of equity into various parts of the planning process for the development of the offshore wind market in their states.

A report by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), “Offshore Wind and Equity: State of the States Report” (https://www.cesa.org/resource-library/resource/offshore-wind-and-equity/), provides an overview of how states with offshore wind potential have begun to include and operationalize principles of equity in their offshore wind policies and related economic development programs.

In this CESA webinar, report authors Vero Bourg-Meyer and Sam Schacht will present their findings. They will be joined by representatives from New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut to discuss how their states are incorporating equity into their offshore wind programs.