The Nature Conservancy : Jedele Hired To Coordinate Offshore Wind Policy At TNC

Press release from The Nature Conservancy:

September 22, 2021

Stepping into a newly created position, Trish Jedele will coordinate TNC’s offshore wind energy efforts from Maine to North Carolina.

Media Contacts

Marketing & Communications Manager

The Nature Conservancy

Mobile:
401-529-1072

Email:
tmooney@tnc.org

Tricia K. Jedele, an attorney and environmental leader who helped secure protections for marine life and habitat in the process to build the first offshore wind farm in the United States, has joined The Nature Conservancy as the first Atlantic Coast Offshore Wind Policy Manager.

In this new position, Jedele (pronounced YADE-lee) will coordinate and lead TNC’s offshore wind energy efforts from Maine to North Carolina. Jedele previously served as the Chief of the Environment and Energy Unit of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office.

Tricia Jedele

TNC's first Atlantic Coast offshore wind policy manager

© Jedele Family

×

“I am excited to announce the appointment of Trish Jedele to lead the Atlantic Coast offshore wind program at TNC,” said John Torgan, Rhode Island State Director and Offshore Wind program sponsor for TNC. “More than anyone, Trish has worked to build protections into law and regulations for fisheries and fish habitat, negotiated measures to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, and helped to chart a path for offshore wind growth that protects fish and habitat at the same time.”

From 2009 to 2016, Jedele served as Vice President and Rhode Island Director of the Conservation Law Foundation, where she worked closely with federal and state agencies in developing the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan, the first federally approved ocean plan for offshore wind in the United States. Jedele has also represented the commercial fishing community in complex negotiations over construction-related impacts associated with offshore wind. 

“For offshore wind to be successful, projects have to be sited in a way that avoids critical habitat on the sea floor, protects threatened and endangered species and accommodates traditional uses,” Jedele said. “It’s going to require coordination and proper management of offshore wind objectives with multiple stakeholders. I’m looking forward to joining the remarkably talented team already in place at TNC to help advance these conversations.”

TNC recently launched an offshore wind program to help steer the rapidly growing energy sector toward improving siting and advancing marine conservation as multiple large-scale wind projects are proposed up and down the East Coast. TNC views offshore wind as an essential part of reaching low-carbon energy goals and addressing the polluting and climate impacts of fossil fuels.

This press release was produced by The Nature Conservancy. The views expressed here are the author’s own.