New York State currently has five (5) offshore wind projects moving forward through the late stages of the regulatory process. Altogether, they will power over 2 million homes in New York City and on Long Island, while creating 10,000 jobs.
To help educate the public on the science and facts behind offshore wind as a renewable energy source and as a growing industry in the U.S., the WindWorks Long Island Coalition hosted a forum at Long Beach City Hall on Wednesday, May 24th, open to the public. Presentations touching on a wide range of issues and concerns that the public may have were given by Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Dr. Ben Cotts, PhD, Principle Engineer of Exponent; Rob DiGiovanni, Chief Scientist and President of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society; Ryan Stanton, Executive Director of the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; and Matthew Aracich, President of the Nassau and Suffolk County Building and Construction Trades Council.
A week before, at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting held on Tuesday, May 16th, Local 3 members from Long Beach spoke in favor of both the environmental and economic benefits of building renewable energy projects, such as the Empire Wind 2 offshore wind farm that will be built off the coast of Long Beach with a cable connecting to the Barrett substation in Oceanside. Empire Wind 2 is expected to be operational by 2026 and will generate 1,260 MW of electricity to power approximately 600,000 homes.
