The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative has released Offshore Siting Principles and Guidelines for Wind
Development on the Great Lakes, now available here. The document was a collaborative effort by
members of the group’s Offshore Wind Workgroup and other stakeholders.

“The guidelines are a timely response to what the Collaborative sees as a wave of interest in
offshore wind development that is sweeping across the Great Lakes. Offshore wind must be
environmentally and economically sustainable and reduce the carbon footprint of the binational
Great Lakes region,” said Terry Yonker, U.S. Co‐chair of the Collaborative’s Steering Committee.

The document provides guidance to state regulators, as well as developers, about potential
environmental and other regulatory considerations that might be of concern with an offshore wiind
project. Its intent is to promote more informed decisionmaking and ensure that offshore wind
development is being done in an environmentally‐sensitive manner.

“Offshore wind development in the Great Lakes region is a new and exciting undertaking, but we
have to get it right. The siting principles and guidelines are an important first step”, said Joyce
McLean of Toronto Hydro and Canadian Co‐chair of the Collaborative’s Steering Committee.

“The Collaborative is working to ensure that as the wind industry develops, it not only provides
clean energy and green collar jobs, but also preserves the diverse Great Lakes ecosystem for future
generations,” said Tony Logan, Chief Legal Counsel and Wind Policy Coordinator with the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources. Logan is also a member of the Collaborative’s Advisory
Committee.

The document identifies environmental concerns, such as lake floor habitat, fisheries, and
migratory birds, among others, and suggests ways they can be addressed. Hence, the document
provides regulatory agencies the groundwork to develop individual state and provincial policies and
best practices.

“The Offshore Siting Principles and Guidelines report is a valuable resource for industry, policy
makers and stakeholders engaged in considering offshore windpower development opportunities
throughout the Great Lakes Basin,” said Kevin Edwards of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
and one of the Collaborative’s Advisory Committee co‐chairs. “For Ontario, it is an important
reference tool that will complement other strategic resources as the province moves to implement
the new Green Energy Act.”

The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative is a multi‐sector coalition of wind energy stakeholders working
to facilitate the sustainable development of wind power in the binational Great Lakes region.

For immediate release: November 3, 2009 | Download PDF
Contact: John Hummer, 734-971-9135 or Terry Yonker, 716-745-9129

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