{"content":[{"text":"PUBLIC COMMENTS \n GOVERNOR’S OFFSHORE WIND WORKING GROUP \n NOVEMBER 15, 2017 \n SUBMITTED BY: Bonnie Ram, Senior Researcher at University of DE \n bram@udel.edu","bbox":{"left":0.157686,"top":0.045654,"width":0.6845680000000001,"height":0.108427}},{"text":"Thank you for the opportunity to present some of my views to the \n working group. I am a thought leader in the wind area since 2001 \n where I worked as a consultant for the Department of Energy Office \n of Wind in Washington, DC and the National Renewable Energy Lab \n based in Colorado.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.175679,"width":0.7540140000000001,"height":0.10840200000000003}},{"text":"I have been with the University of DE, Center for Carbon-free Power \n Integration for about 3 and ½ years and spent 2 years in Denmark at \n the Danish Technical University focusing on challenges with \n community engagement for new wind projects on land and at sea. \n Recently, I have been gauging interest of local decision makers and \n citizens in renewable energy and the clean energy transition in the \n Delmarva Peninsula.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.305831,"width":0.7567050000000001,"height":0.15177199999999996}},{"text":"There are two central issues that do not appear to be addressed by \n the working group to date ---The need for offshore wind and \n stakeholder engagement of local citizens and local decision makers. \n Establishing the need to invest and/or to purchase new energy \n supplies must also consider life-cycle impacts and benefits on a \n regional level. Public engagement of local citizens is a pressing need \n that I have explored and now have some preliminary observations \n from research in Sussex County. Key issues that I have identified are \n as follows.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.479202,"width":0.762162,"height":0.19509299999999996}},{"text":"We know that public engagement must be two-way process and \n begin early and continue throughout the decision-making process. \n Listening to citizens is really important – we need to know what they \n know, what are their concerns, what do they think about clean \n energy supplies? Are they connecting the dots between clean \n energy and sea level rise and more frequent flooding? Between \n offshore wind and redevelopment of coastal infrastructure?","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.695894,"width":0.7454230000000001,"height":0.15192399999999995}},{"text":"At this stage, I can say with confidence that the many of the public in \n Sussex County have a very limited knowledge about why we need \n offshore wind and how this fits into the goals of the state. In fact, \n 1","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.869411,"width":0.764768,"height":0.08495300000000006}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}