Community Benefits and Impacts from Energy Development:
The Case of Offshore Wind 

Energy development projects can create both opportunities and challenges for host communities. New infrastructure may bring jobs, investment, and funding for local priorities while also raising concerns related to environmental change, existing industries, cultural resources, and local participation in decision making. 

This project examines how communities, developers, policymakers, and supporting organizations address questions of local impacts and community benefits associated with large-scale energy development. Offshore wind development serves as a case study for understanding how benefit arrangements emerge, how negotiations unfold, and how communities navigate complex energy infrastructure siting processes across U.S. coastal regions. 

Meet the project team!

Emerging Insights

Research across study locations highlights several recurring themes shaping how communities experience large-scale energy development:

• TBD

Research activities included interviews, surveys, document analysis, and engagement with community members, local leaders, developers, nonprofit organizations and policy makers.

Full findings and supporting analysis are available in project reports and research publications below

Research Locations

• Brookings, Oregon

• Coos Bay, Oregon

• Eureka, California

EnGAGEMENT AND pROJECT aCTIVITIES

Throughout the project, researchers engaged with coastal communities, nonprofit organizations, industry representatives, and public agencies through interviews, workshops, and public discussions focused on community experiences with offshore wind development. 

Research Team

PRINCIPAL & Co INVESTIGATORS:

research team members

PROJECT SUPPORT

Research activities have been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office, the National Wildlife Federation and the U. S. Energy Foundation.