» Marisa McNatt Receives Beverly Sears Graduate Research Grant

CSTPR Graduate Student, Marisa McNatt was awarded a Beverly Sears Graduate Research Grant to fund her research at University of Colorado Boulder. Marisa’s research project will generate hypotheses and policy recommendations for improving U.S. offshore wind farm development processes.  Specifically, this project will gather and analyze data on how key stakeholders and contextual factors, such as economic and institutional conditions, at the state- and local-levels have affected the Block Island offshore wind farm, currently under construction off the coast of Rhode Island, and the Fishermen’s Energy offshore wind farm, proposed for construction off the coast of New Jersey coast.  These case studies were selected because of their similar project parameters and initial timelines, but varying stages in developmental progress.  For instance, both offshore wind farms were proposed in 2008, and if completed, will generate about the same amount of electricity, and will be visible from shore.  Yet, Block Island is expected to generate electricity by fall 2016, whereas Fishermen’s Energy has met with numerous setbacks in recent years and is not yet under constriction (Gibbons, 2012 & Fishermen’s Energy).  The significant differences in the developmental progress, and similarities in design parameters provides an ideal opportunity to evaluate how the differing stakeholder values and contextual factors in the Atlantic City, NJ and the Block Island, RI regions are affecting the progress, or lack thereof, of these offshore wind farm projects.