New Jersey Research Monitoring Initiative Makes $4.75 Million Available for Projects to Ensure Ecologically Responsible Development of Offshore Wind

TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in conjunction with the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, today announced that the state’s Research & Monitoring Initiative (RMI) is issuing a request for proposals that will make $4.75 million available for research projects focused on furthering ecologically responsible offshore wind development.

The funded projects will characterize ecological conditions prior to construction and/or address impacts to a resource during construction. Proposals submitted should clearly and concisely describe what measurements, analyses, or tool(s) are necessary during the preconstruction and construction phases of offshore wind development to achieve this central objective of the RMI. The RMI’s request for proposals is available through the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, which is contracted to handle the administration of the project solicitation and awarding of funds.

“The Murphy Administration is committed to advancing science that will ensure that offshore wind, a necessary component of our work to address the impact of climate change, is developed responsibly and in a manner that minimizes impacts to our precious coastal environment,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “These projects will build upon the ever-growing body of offshore wind research that is being conducted here in New Jersey and regionally along the East Coast.”

“In partnership with the NJDEP and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, the NJBPU remains committed to safe and responsible offshore wind development,” said BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “By leveraging these partnerships and prioritizing innovative, data-driven decision-making, we will continue to protect the Garden State’s treasured marine and coastal ecosystems.”

These RMI-funded studies will better inform how offshore wind development may affect marine systems, as well as ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate effects on marine resources. They will build upon current and past research facilitated by RMI and regional entities such as the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind (RWSC) and the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA).

Through this request for proposals solicitation, the RMI seeks to allocate funding for projects in the following ecological and technological focus areas:

• Non-extractive methods for surveying wildlife and habitat ($500,000)
• Technological innovations in data collection, analysis and management ($500,000)
• Fishery sustainability and socioeconomic impacts of offshore wind activities ($750,000)
• Identifying and reducing offshore wind noise impacts on marine wildlife ($750,000)
• Characterization of benthic ecosystems and primary productivity ($1 million)
• Assessments of bird and bat abundance, migration patterns, and risk exposure associated with offshore wind ($500,000)
• Other high priority research needs identified by the RMI, including projects on data management, environmental change, benthic systems, birds, bats, fish and invertebrates, sea turtles, marine mammals, and fisheries ($750,000)

Projects currently funded by the RMI, which receives funds from offshore wind developers through New Jersey’s offshore wind solicitations, include tagging of sea turtles, expanding the international Motus network for detecting birds and bats, assessing oceanographic and ecological baselines using autonomous gliders, tagging and acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, and using eDNA to understand fish communities in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. A complete list of currently funded research is available at https://dep.nj.gov/offshorewind/rmi/#projects.

RMI projects are selected to address the short-term highest priority research needs, which were developed with input gathered from subject matter experts; stakeholders including a variety of state, federal, fishing industry, and environmental organizations; and the New Jersey Environmental Resources Offshore Wind Working Group.

These projects demonstrate New Jersey’s commitment to regional cooperation and will provide important data needed for future assessments of changes to natural resources resulting from wind farm construction, operation, and decommissioning.

For more information about the Offshore Wind Research & Monitoring Initiative, visit dep.nj.gov/offshorewind/rmi/. Questions may be emailed to OffshoreWind@dep.nj.gov

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PHOTO: Whale acoustic monitoring buoy, Mark Baumgardner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute