Innovate Newport: Setting the Record Straight on Offshore Wind

***Though this event is technically sold out, we encourage you to register to join the wait list so we can contact you if tickets open up due to cancellations. We also plan to live stream this event online and will contact all waitlist attendees with livestream info.***

The need for urgent solutions to address global warming and climate change has turned the focus toward renewable energy sources such as offshore wind farms. In this year’s presidential election, offshore wind energy is very much on the ballot, with the Republican presidential candidate pledging to shut down the industry on day one. And, offshore wind has proven a divisive issue within our coastal communities.

What role can/should offshore wind play in meeting our climate goals? What happens to those goals if wind is not in the picture? This forum will explore the real pros and cons of offshore wind and combat misinformation about offshore wind and its potential effects on ocean habitat.

The panel will be moderated by Mike Stanton, author, pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter and professor of journalism at the University of Connecticut.

The panel will include:

Tricia Jedele, Atlantic Coast offshore wind policy manager at The Nature Conservancy

Bob Kenney, University of Rhode Island marine mammal scientist

Rich Hittinger, Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association vice president and member of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Advisory Board

Frank Carini, ecoRI News senior reporter and columnist

Chris Kearns, acting commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources

Michael Lombardi, CMarTech, Rhode Island diving scientist, technologist, and contractor. Just confirmed as a panelist 9/19/24.