Abstract
Offshore wind energy is one alternative to energy derived from the combustion of fossil fuels. The United States’ ability to harness wind energy from the outer continental shelf (OCS) is at an initial stage compared with European countries and some Asian countries. As interest in the potential benefits of offshore wind grows in the United States, some stakeholders have expressed concerns about offshore wind projects’ potential impacts on the marine ecosystem. Offshore wind projects may affect the marine ecosystem and associated species in ways both adverse and beneficial. Stakeholders commonly cite effects such as changes to the ocean environment; habitat alterations; risks that living marine resources may collide with construction vessels and offshore wind structures; altered behaviors and disturbance of migration paths of certain fish, marine mammals, and birds; and water pollution. Some observers emphasize that, although individual offshore wind energy projects may have local, immediate impacts to certain species, the global ocean and the wildlife it supports are threatened by the long-term consequences of climate change. Many scientists concur that renewable power is important for addressing climate change and reducing its longer term environmental impacts. Some stakeholders have encouraged decisionmakers to include climate change risks facing the ocean and certain marine animals in analyses of offshore wind projects.