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| 麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)。 |
查理貝克今早到昆士市是為宣佈州政府「住宅選擇(Housing Choice)」項目中的2000萬元，將撥400萬元給昆士市，協助建造房屋，安置無家可歸者。
查理貝克說，聯邦人員告訴他，將分發1000萬劑強生(J&J)疫苗給全美各州，其中500萬劑發給政府的零售藥店計畫，500萬劑交給各州政府支配。麻州至少會得到10萬多劑強生疫苗。他認為此舉意義重大，因為強生疫苗只須施打一劑，等2星期就生效了。輝瑞(Pfizer)和莫德納(Moderna)疫苗各需施打兩劑，總共得等6星期，才能當作疫苗接種完畢，時效優劣不言可見。
從麻州開始為州內410萬名成人注射疫苗到現在，包括三種不同疫苗在內，麻州政府總共已收到406萬3570劑疫苗。在麻州週二公布的數據中，麻州已施打348萬3,277劑疫苗，其中有85,520劑是J&J疫苗。
下週一時，年滿55歲，或是有一種以上病症的人將有資格接種疫苗，到4月19日時，所有16歲以上人將都可以注射疫苗。
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| 昆士市長柯奇(Tom Koch)表示將要蓋新的昆士市警察局。 |
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| 麻州長透露聯邦政府將發出500萬劑強生疫苗，麻州估計可得到 數以十萬計的強生疫苗。 |
昆士市的「比爾神父之家(Father
Bill's & Main Spring)」遷至原址對街，重建為包括100個流浪漢床位，以及住宅單位的發展計劃，將經由麻州政府的「住宅選擇」計畫，以及住宅及經濟發展廳(DHCD)的支持性住宅獎助等項目，共獲得400萬元補助。
查理貝克表示，麻州內房屋昂貴的原因之一，就是因為建造量、供應量不足，市面住宅短缺。他上任以來一直致力改善這一現象。麻州政府指出，查理貝克在2017年推出，2021年1月簽署成法的「住宅選擇」計畫，為市鎮提供技術及經費援助，預定到2025年時，為麻州增加13萬5000個住宅單位。
麻州政府在一份新聞稿中稱，從2015年開始，麻州政府已斥資超過14億元建造可負擔住宅，以致少建成或保護了2萬個住宅單位，其中包括18,000個可負擔住宅。2018年查理貝克還簽署了18億元，這歷年來金額最高的住宅債券法案，用於建造及保留可負擔住宅。今年查理貝克又簽署了名為「促進成長合作法(An
Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth)」的經濟發展法案，並經由「麻州工作基礎架構項目(MassWorks
Infrastructue Program)」，支持建造17,000個綜合收入住宅單位等等。
「比爾神父之家(Father
Bill's & Main Spring)」原本座落在昆士市Broad街38號。位於該址的樓宇將夷為平地，已建造新的昆士市警察局及公安大樓。，「比爾神父之家」將遷進對街的2棟新大樓內。其中將先建造的那一棟大樓，會有可辦各項培訓活動的日間中心，以及緊急庇護所，醫療門診等。
另一棟將在第二階段施工的大樓，會有30個供人永久性居住的小公寓。
「比爾神父之家」執行長John
Yazwinski表示，整個計畫預計耗資2400萬元。麻州政府補助的400萬元，將用於第一階段施工。該機構還需另外找到700萬元的私營機構投資。目前該機構已籌得320萬元。
被稱為「住宅資源中心(Housing
Resource Center)」的這第一階段大樓，預定今年稍後開工。
Baker-Polito
Administration Awards Funding, Vouchers to Seven Affordable Housing Projects
for Vulnerable Communities
Supportive housing provides critical services to support chronically homeless individuals, individuals in recovery and formerly homeless individuals flourish
3/31/2021
QUINCY — Today, Governor Charlie Baker,
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, and Housing and Economic Development Secretary
Mike Kennealy joined House Speaker Ronald Mariano, Quincy Mayor Tom
Koch, Senator John Keenan, and advocates to celebrate the production and
preservation of 67 units of supportive housing for vulnerable
populations, as well as 100 shelter beds, through $13.7 million in
capital funding and project-based vouchers. Today’s event was
held at the future home of the Father Bill's & MainSpring Housing
Resource Center, which has received both supportive housing funding and a
Housing Choice Community Capital Grant for design and engineering work.
Each year, DHCD distributes capital funds as
well as project-based vouchers to pay for supportive services through a
competitive process administered by the agency’s Supportive Housing for
Vulnerable Populations program. These supportive services serve veterans,
older adults, persons with disabilities, individuals and families who have
experienced homelessness, as well as unaccompanied youth. Some state
capital subsidies have also funded emergency shelter beds, including in this
most recent round.
“In 2018, our administration signed the
largest affordable housing legislation in Massachusetts history, and we
have worked hard to invest in the production and preservation of thousands of
affordable units in every region of the Commonwealth,” said Governor
Charlie Baker. “Thanks to our partners in the Legislature and local
leaders, we are ensuring that supportive housing remains a
key component of our broader strategy to increase production.”
“Permanent supportive housing provides
necessary services to our most vulnerable populations, and I am so proud that
we have invested in the development of hundreds of units of this type of
affordable housing across the Commonwealth available to the families and
individuals that have the greatest need,” said Lt. Governor Karyn
Polito. “Every project in today's round will result in housing with
tailored services that will create an environment that will allow people to
thrive.”
The Department of Housing and Community
Development (DHCD), working with the Community Economic Development Assistance
Corporation (CEDAC), will make available approximately $2.6 million
in National Housing Trust Fund (HTF) funding, dedicated to
households at 30% area median income or less; $10.7 million in state bond
funds through the Housing Innovations Fund (HIF) and the Housing
Stabilization Fund (HSF); and 57 state project-based housing
vouchers to qualified and experienced sponsors. CEDAC, which
manages HIF, works closely with DHCD to administer these rounds and review
applications for funding.
Supportive housing provides residents with
social and health services, including job training, case management, healthcare
coordination, addiction recovery resources, and more. All 67 units
are affordable to low and extremely low-income people. There are an
additional 20 units that are being supported through vouchers only but are
eligible to seek additional state funding in the future. Since 2015, the
Baker-Polito Administration has supported the preservation and production of hundreds
of supportive housing units.
“Solving our housing crisis requires housing
production of all types, including permanent supportive housing for
veterans, older adults, people in recovery, and individuals with
disabilities, as well as shelter beds for
those experiencing homelessness,” said Housing and Economic
Development Secretary Kennealy. “Thanks to this innovative
partnership involving DHCD, the city of Quincy, elected officials, and Father
Bill’s and MainSpring, the vision of meeting the needs of the most
vulnerable among us with a state-of-the-art facility is closer to
being a reality.”
“Our team has worked closely with incredible
partners like CEDAC to invest in projects that will meaningfully help a diverse
set of people who can thrive with support and housing they can afford,” said
Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox. “Our
department has been committed to keeping our investments in housing development
on track. Our housing crisis began before our current health crisis, and I am
proud we’ve been able to continue funding the development of new affordable
housing in every region and pass important zoning reform to make it easier for
communities to promote housing at the local level.”
In Quincy, DHCD is awarding $4 million
subsidy funds to Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS) for the
construction the new Housing Resource Center that will be built across from the
organization’s current shelter for homeless individuals. This new
multi-use facility will incorporate approximately 100 shelter beds, onsite
supportive services, a respite care area, food preparation and dining
facilities, administrative offices, and a clinic. DHCD will support this
project with $4 million in subsidy funds. The City of Quincy is supporting
the project by granting FBMS a 99-year lease at $1 per year and a capital award
of $1 million in local housing trust funds, and successfully applied for a
Housing Choice Community Capital Grant to cover portions of design and
engineering services.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of
the longstanding issues that our cities and towns have faced, such as
homelessness,” said Speaker of the House Ronald J. Mariano. “The
grants awarded today will support organizations that serve our most vulnerable
residents and provide them with a path to safe, stable and dignified housing.
The Massachusetts House is proud to support the work of the awardees and
provide opportunities for them to expand their services. I am proud to have
worked alongside the Quincy delegation to help secure this grant for Father
Bill’s, and look forward to seeing the positive impact their future facility
will have in our community.”
“The Supportive Housing award, coupled with
local funding from the City of Quincy, allows Father Bill's and MainSpring to
move forward with its multi-use facility, which represents a new, more
comprehensive approach towards preventing homelessness in southern
Massachusetts,” said Senator John Keenan, Senate Chair of the Joint
Committee on Housing.
"Father Bill's
& MainSpring are an invaluable resource and advocate for our
community. Their innovative work in not only providing stable housing, but also
in their efforts in intervention and prevention work are critical to our
community members facing homelessness,” said Representative Tackey Chan.
“This grant money will make their new facilities a reality and allow their work
to be more broad-reaching."
"The innovative Father Bill’s and
Mainspring Housing Resource Center is going to be a life-changer for so many of
our most vulnerable community members in the City of Quincy,” said
Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch. “I’m proud to partner in this endeavor,
and deeply grateful to the Baker and Polito Administration for once
again seeing the value in a such a vital local project by granting it a
National Trust Fund Supportive Housing Award.”
“We want to end homelessness, not manage
it — and the Housing Resource Center will move us closer to that
goal,” said FBMS President & CEO John Yazwinski. “The HRC
is a solutions-based, proactive approach that meets individuals further
upstream in their housing crisis. By investing in day services that re-house
homeless individuals more quickly and prevent more people from entering
shelter, we will lower public costs, reduce reliance on shelter beds and
downtown spaces, and provide our neighbors in need with stability and a pathway
to self-sufficiency. Thank you to Governor Charlie Baker and his
administration, Speaker Ron Mariano and the Quincy state delegation, and Mayor
Thomas Koch and the Quincy City Council for supporting this innovative
approach. Together, our community is taking a leap forward in our fight to
end homelessness.”
“Congratulations to the non-profit
organizations receiving these supportive housing funding awards. Their work is
so necessary to providing housing and services to truly vulnerable populations
across the Commonwealth,” said Roger Herzog, the Executive Director of
the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). “CEDAC
values our effective collaboration with the Baker-Polito Administration and its
Department of Housing and Community Development and its strong commitment to
the production of supportive housing through the eighth annual funding round
dedicated for this purpose.”
The Baker-Polito Administration has shown
a deep commitment to increasing the production of housing across all income
levels. Since 2015, the administration has invested more than $1.4 billion in
affordable housing, resulting in the production and preservation of more than 20,000
housing units, including 18,000 affordable units. In 2018, Governor Baker signed the largest housing bond
bill in Massachusetts history, committing more than $1.8 billion to
the future of affordable housing production and preservation. This year,
Governor Baker signed economic development legislation titled An
Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth that includes substantial new funding
for affordable and climate-resilient housing, as well as targeted zoning
reforms to advance new housing production. The administration has also
supported the development of more than 17,000 mixed-income housing units
through the successful MassWorks Infrastructure Program, reformed
the Housing Development Incentive Program, and
worked with communities to implement smart-growth development and planning
efforts.
Award Recipients:
37 Wales Street, Boston: The non-profit sponsor, Heading Home, will
demolish a structurally compromised building and construct a new, 23-unit
building. Located in Dorchester, the project will provide permanent supportive
housing to formerly homeless, extremely low-income (ELI) individuals. The
project also will be highly energy efficient. DHCD will support this project
with subsidy funds and 23 enhanced rental vouchers.
6 Quint Ave, Boston: 6 Quint is an existing, privately owned
lodging house in Allston. The non-profit sponsor, Allston-Brighton CDC, will
purchase and redevelop this property into 14 supportive housing units targeted
toward extremely low-income (ELI) individuals in the advanced stages of
addiction recovery. DHCD subsidy funds will support the acquisition and
renovation of this project. The Boston Housing Authority also is supporting 6
Quint with project-based rental vouchers.
Ashford Street, Boston: Ashford Street is an
existing 12-unit project featuring single-room occupancy (SRO) units
as well as studio and one-bedroom units. The sponsor is the non-profit
Allston-Brighton CDC. Located in Allston, the project serves extremely
low-income (ELI) individuals. DHCD funds will support the rehabilitation and
preservation of this project, including improved accessibility, with subsidy
funds and four rental vouchers. The Boston Housing Authority also is
supporting Ashford Street with 8 rental vouchers.
Father Bill’s Housing Resource Center, Quincy: This project, sponsored by non-profit Father
Bill’s and MainSpring (FBMS), consists of a new multi-use facility
next to its existing shelter facility. It will incorporate approximately
100 shelter beds, onsite supportive services, a respite care area, food
preparation and dining facilities, administrative offices, and a clinic. DHCD
will support this project with subsidy funds. The City of Quincy is
supporting the project by granting FBMS a 99-year lease at $1 per year and a
capital award of $1 million in local housing trust funds.
A Place to Live – 30 Winfield Street,
Worcester: The non-profit
sponsor, South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), will construct a new
three-story building for chronically homeless single adults. The building will
consist of 18 studio apartments for at-risk homeless individuals as well as
office space for full time case management and a community room. DHCD will
support 30 Winfield Street with subsidies and 10 state MRVPs. The City of
Worcester is providing $100,000 in local HOME funds as well as project-based
subsidies.
Amherst Supportive Studio, Amherst: Sponsored by the non-profit Valley CDC,
this project consists of the creation of 28 enhanced single-room occupancy
(SRO) units. The building, which will achieve Passive House certification, will
include one office for onsite property management and a separate office for a
Resident Services Coordinator. The site currently holds a single-family home
that will be demolished. The location is highly walkable, less than 1/2 mile to
the Town Center and numerous service providers. DHCD will provide the project with
10 MRVP vouchers to assist in the effort to house ten homeless
individuals.
New Point Acquisitions, Salem: North Shore Community Development Coalition
(NSCDC) will carry out substantial capital improvements, implement supportive
services, and convert 18 unrestricted units into affordable units for homeless
individuals. Located in the Point neighborhood close to Salem’s center, this
project consists of units divided across three, 3-story brick walk-up
buildings. The City of Salem is supporting the project with City Home funds of
$25,000, CPA funds of $100,000, CDBG funds of $25,000, and 8 rental
vouchers. DHCD will provide the project with 10 enhanced rental vouchers
to assist NSCDC’s efforts to house homeless families. NSCDC will apply to
DHCD for subsidy funds in future competitive funding
Statewide and Regional Business Associations Announce New Skills Coalition and Policy Agenda
Statewide
and regional business associations from across the Commonwealth have launched
the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills (MBCS). The new statewide
coalition will advocate
for policies that develop the skills of our current and future workforce.
The MBCS formed because there are two sides to the skills gap and both can drag job and economic growth. On the employer side, it is difficult to find qualified talent: a 2019 survey by coalition member Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) found that 73% of Massachusetts employers find it “somewhat difficult” or “very difficult” to find people with the right skills to fill open positions. For workers, new skills are the springboard to job opportunities and growth: a 2016 Pew Research Center survey found that 87% of working adults believe developing new skills throughout their work life will be “essential” or “important” to career success.
Over the last year, members of the Coalition’s steering committee researched, discussed, and refined policy proposals to address both the employer and employee side of the skills gap. The recommendations aim to leverage the state’s entire workforce, not just graduates with 4-year degrees, by creating a statewide standard of essential skills, expanding access to career and vocational technical education (CVTE), and incentivizing employers to provide ongoing skills training to employees.
“The Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills is a robust, collaborative effort to close the state’s skills gaps, solidifying Massachusetts as the best place to learn, work, and do business. The state’s skills gaps are not only limiting the economic opportunity available to students and the workforce, skills gaps are also hindering the competitiveness of Massachusetts employers. To ensure an equitable economic recovery post-pandemic, the state’s talent and businesses require policy solutions that this new coalition is uniquely positioned to deliver,” said James E. Rooney, President & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Closing
the skills gaps in Massachusetts requires targeted solutions. As part of the
coalition’s launch, the MBCS
releases its policy agenda aimed at ensuring every resident can acquire the
in-demand skills needed to be successful in the workforce. The MBCS’s
policy agenda includes seven priority areas:
·
Create
a pathway toward essential skills development
·
Modernize
Career Vocational Technical Education (CVTE)
·
Incentivize
employer training initiatives
·
Support
Massachusetts’ ongoing training initiatives
·
Set
statewide and regional training goals
·
Simplify
workforce development
· Increase employer engagement.
MBCS
Members as of March 2021:
·
1Berkshire
·
Amplify
Latinx
·
Bedford
Area Chamber of Commerce
·
Black
Economic Council of Massachusetts
·
Blackstone
Valley Chamber of Commerce
·
Cape
Cod Chamber of Commerce
·
Greater
Boston Chamber of Commerce
·
Kendall
Square Association
·
MassTLC
·
Massachusetts
Business Alliance for Education
·
Massachusetts
Business Roundtable
·
Massachusetts
Taxpayers Foundation
·
Nashoba
Valley Chamber of Commerce
·
Neponset
River Regional Chamber of Commerce
·
Newton-Needham
Regional Chamber of Commerce
·
North
Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
·
One
SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce
·
Quincy
Chamber of Commerce
·
Springfield
Regional Chamber of Commerce
·
Somerville
Chamber of Commerce
·
Western
Massachusetts Economic Development Council
·
Worcester
Regional Chamber of Commerce
 |
| 中華表演藝術基金會會長譚嘉陵(右)和鋼琴家黎卓宇(左)。 |
中華表演藝術基金會會長譚嘉陵表示，礙於疫情，人們無法親到現場，現已徵得黎卓宇的全球總代理「華納古典」唱片公司同意，把完整演出視頻上載到Youtube頻道，在4月22日前供人們欣賞。
 |
| 黎卓宇在伊莎貝拉博物館演奏。 |
中華表演藝術基金會的音樂會系列，從去年以來就因為新冠病毒疫情，不斷因應環境變化做調整，邀請曾獲2015年柴可夫斯基大賽銀獎的黎卓宇獨奏，同時慶祝鋼琴大師羅梭舒曼(Russel
Sherman)九秩晉一華誕的音樂會，原定去年12月舉行，後因疫情，博物館關閉，演出日期延至一月，再改三月，但又礙於政府的疫情期間規定，偌大的四層樓，可容300人表演廳，也限制只能有10人出席，讓人殊感遺憾，可幸的是，現場人數雖少，出席者和表演者在同一時空中由音樂牽出的情感交流，互相欣賞，卻是那麼真誠。
黎卓宇當晚表演的第一首曲目是貝多芬臨終前譜撰的樂章，第32號奏鳴曲，Op.
111號作品，曲中盡現一代樂聖告別世界時，心中的無奈與不捨。
另一首演奏曲目是李斯特的Ｂ小調奏鳴曲
黎卓宇當晚演奏了兩首安可曲目，向兩名對他影響深遠的人致敬。第一曲「奉獻(Widmung
-Dedication)」是Robert
Schumann的作品。他藉此向九秩晉一的羅梭舒曼(Russell Sherman)祝壽，也感謝舒曼及其夫人Wha
Kyung Byun在音樂上給他的不斷啟發。第二首曲目，蕭邦夜曲，是獻給他的鋼琴啟蒙老師，今年二月因癌症突然辭世，在他之外還培養出Eric
Lu等多名傑出鋼琴家的楊鏡川(Dorothy
Yang Shi)。
 |
| 黎卓宇。 |
目前黎卓宇已從哈佛和紐英倫音樂學院的聯合學位項目畢業，得到哈佛的學士及紐英倫音樂學院的碩士學位，正在繼續攻讀紐英倫音樂學院的藝術家文憑學位（Artist
Diploma)，繼續和
Wha Kyung Byun老師學習。
波士頓音樂雜誌(Boston Musical
Intelligencer)樂評，曾任莫斯科Kommersaut日報樂評的Victor
Khatutsky看了錄像後說，雖然是錄像，但可能和那10名幸運的現場觀眾有關，演出氣氛幾乎有實體音樂會感覺。黎卓宇把貝多芬生前最後鉅作，Op.
111號作品那種告別生命的無奈，表現得強而有震撼力，充滿真情，不同色調，還注意到了每一個細節，的確是一名卓越傑出的鋼琴家，要向教導他的老師們敬禮。
黎卓宇的這場演奏，經中華表演藝術基金會努力協商，徵得黎卓宇的全球唱片總代理，也是世界最大古典音樂唱片公司的華納Warner Classics同意，已錄影並上載到該會YouTube頻道，免費播映至4月22日，https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDuiQiOzZI_M7iDNXWXEDA/videos。(圖片由中華表演藝術基金會提供)
 |
| 蘇鴻昌(第二排第三人)主持會議。波士頓經文處處長孫儉元(最右排 第三人)等嘉賓出席。 |
(Boston OCAC)北美洲臺商總會健康福利委員會、波士頓臺灣世衞委員會、駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處、波士頓文教中心「i臺灣窗口」及波士頓急難救助協會等結合當地僑團、僑臺商會共同主辦之「COVID-19疫苗的面面觀」講座於3月26日晚間於線上舉行，邀請臺北長庚醫院感染科主任黃景泰、Harvard Vanguard
Medical Director，Justin Yang，MD兩位醫師分享及說明近來受到高度關注之COVID-19疫苗相關議題，並由北美臺商總會進行臉書直播。
 |
黃景泰醫師首先簡報分享疫苗之作用方式及其製造原理，臺灣國產疫苗開發進度，高端與聯亞兩大廠商所研發疫苗的差異，並分析全球四大類型疫苗的製作方法、優缺點及其可能副作用，也比較了國際四大COVID-19疫苗廠商所產製疫苗的保護能力、須施打劑量、售價、保存温度、保存期及相對優點等。
Justin Yang醫師。
Justin Yang醫師則分享自2020年3月美國疫情大爆發以來，站在醫療第一線抗疫的經驗，如何預約COVID-19檢測，有哪幾家美國保險公司可給付因旅遊出入境檢測費用，在波士頓地區如何接種疫苗，以及建議先洽詢家庭醫師所屬醫院是否配有疫苗，以便較快獲得安排施打；另再強調美國市面上COVID-19疫苗都非常安全，除非確定該疫苗製作成份會引起自身過敏，否則皆不宜以過敏或懷孕為由而不接種。兩位醫師在簡報後並接受提問及進行意見交流。北美洲臺商總會會長吳怡明最後提醒大家，如有疫苗可接種就儘早施打，無論何種品牌疫苗都能有一定的防疫效果，可保護自己也保護他人。
參與合辦講座的單位尚有慈濟波士頓聯絡處、波克萊臺灣商會、新英格蘭大波士頓臺灣商會、波士頓急難救助協會、臺灣佇遮計劃(Here
I Stand Project，HISP)等。 (波士頓華僑文教中心新聞稿及照片)
黃景泰醫師。
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo Announces Efforts to Advance Offshore Wind Power Generation
WASHINGTON --
In a roundtable meeting convened by the White House today, U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced two new initiatives that will advance the
Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy goals by harnessing the economic
potential of offshore wind power generation to combat the climate crisis and
create more clean energy jobs.
“These actions illustrate the Department’s commitment to
innovative partnerships to advance the best science and data that will ensure
the development of offshore wind is transparent and inclusive of all
stakeholders,” said Secretary Raimondo. “We look forward to working across the
public and private sectors to invest in clean energy solutions, like offshore
wind, that will contribute to our whole-of-government approach to combat the
climate emergency and create high-paying, high-skilled American jobs.”
The Commerce Department, along with the Departments of Interior
and Energy, are announcing a shared goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of
offshore wind in the United States by 2030, while protecting biodiversity and
promoting ocean co-use. Meeting this target will trigger more than $12 billion
per year in capital investment in projects on both U.S. coasts, create tens of
thousands of good-paying, union jobs, with more than 44,000 workers employed in
offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported
by offshore wind activity. It will also generate enough power to meet the
demand of more than 10 million American homes for a year and avoid 78 million
metric tons of CO2 emissions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has
entered a memorandum of agreement
with Ørsted Wind Power North America LLC, an offshore wind development company
to share physical and biological data in Ørsted-leased waters subject to U.S.
jurisdiction. NOAA anticipates that Ørsted’s data will fill gaps in ocean
mapping and observing to help NOAA better understand weather, climate and ocean
processes and build resilient coastal communities and economies. As part of the
agreement, NOAA will also share its publicly available data with Ørsted.
Together, this information sharing will be used to ensure that offshore
renewable energy technologies and infrastructure are developed, deployed, and
maintained effectively. The Memorandum is the first of its kind between an
offshore wind developer and NOAA – and paves the way for similar data-sharing
agreements with other offshore wind developers.
NOAA’s Northeast Sea Grant Consortium, in partnership with the
U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and Water Power
Technologies Office, and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, is
announcing over $1 million in research funding
to improve understanding of offshore renewable energy interactions with fishing
and coastal communities in order to optimize ocean co-use. With a focus on
advancing community and economic resilience, the funding opportunity aims to
catalyze proactive socio-economic and technology research for offshore
renewable energy planning in the Northeast, for the benefit of a variety of
stakeholders.
Learn more about the announcements and offshore wind:
- Memorandum of Agreement between NOAA and Ørsted Wind Power North
America LLC
- Research funding opportunity to improve understanding of Northeast
renewable energy interactions
- NOAA’s regulatory and scientific role in offshore wind development
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