Achievement

A group of students worked together to identify, develop, and carry out research on marine spatial planning. The team, which included students from multiple disciplines, developed a research paper based on a case study of the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan and Block Island Deepwater Wind Energy project. The paper evaluates marine spatial planning as a tool for assessing offshore wind energy opportunities in U.S. waters and mitigating the conflicts surrounding siting decisions. The students completed an extensive literature review, visited the site, and conducted interviews in order to assess how the framework contributed to the apparent success of the Block Island proposed offshore wind farm. The investigation suggests that marine spatial planning efforts that explicitly include offshore wind may help streamline the regulatory process, garner public and stakeholder support, and balance environmental conservation objectives with economic development goals.