Capacity Accelerator for Tribal Offshore Wind Engagement

Many Tribal Nations have called for additional resources to support Tribal capacity to engage in offshore wind energy decision-making processes. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks to support the vital role of Tribal Nations and Tribal collaboratives in offshore wind energy decision-making processes. 

Activities that may be supported through this effort could include, but are not limited to:

• Engagement in offshore wind energy decision-making processes, such as site assessment, wind energy leasing, and processes under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
• Involvement in environmental monitoring, including Tribal-led integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into monitoring and data collection.
• Advancement of offshore wind energy equity, including in the distribution of the burdens and benefits of offshore wind energy, the development of a wind energy workforce, and transparency in research and engagement.

The capacity accelerator is intended to have multiple funding cycles spanning several years. This effort would seek to potentially support a wide range of Tribal capacity development efforts, including staff time and hiring; travel and conferences; subcontracting; research support; regional collaboration; and managing engagement in regulatory processes. In addition to monetary awards, participants would have access to technical assistance resources and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

The capacity accelerator is intended, in part, to help Tribal Nations engage with the volume of requests to engage in offshore wind processes, ensuring their perspectives are represented in the planning and development of related projects. 

We are currently seeking feedback from Tribes and Tribal supporting organizations on their capacity building needs to engage in offshore wind decision-making and what they would like to see from this Capacity Accelerator.

We’ll be collecting input through December 31, 2024, but early comments and questions are encouraged by emailing  .

Join a Webinar About Designing a Capacity Accelerator for Tribal Offshore Wind Engagement

We are hosting a webinar on Dec. 11, 2024, to provide more information about the potential Capacity Accelerator and offer the opportunity to provide direct feedback to us. Register for the webinar.

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You can also get in touch with us directly with questions or feedback by emailing .

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