Posted on August 7, 2024
CAMERON, La. – Opinions on offshore wind energy vary in Southwest Louisiana. Because of that, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is mailing surveys to some coastal residents to better understand community concerns.
An estimated $65 billion is expected to be invested in offshore wind energy by 2030. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has already designated a wind power area south of the Cameron coast and NOAA wants to know what the coastal community thinks about the possible development.
In a focus group with local community members today, concerns were raised with NOAA about how fishing on the coast would be affected, the impact windmills would have on water quality, and how this would change boat navigation routes near the turbines.
“This survey in particular we are going for random so that it best represents the community that lives there,” Amy Freitag, Social Scientist for NOAA said. “If you get this weird postcard from NOAA, you should take it because the best way to be represented is to get as many people responding as possible.”
The surveys will be mailed later this year.
