Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan appeared in a Grist article titled “The Great Lakes are ideal for wind energy. So where is it?” In the piece, Professor Scanlan discusses the untapped potential of this energy source.
Unlike the East Coast, where the federal government controls the seabed, Great Lakes states have jurisdiction and therefore more control over their lakebeds. While Great Lakes wind projects still require federal oversight, proponents view state-level control as a vital workaround to shifting federal policies and executive challenges. “If it’s done correctly and we’re able to harness even a fraction of that potential, we could offset a lot of electricity demand,” Scanlan said.
Read the Grist article: The Great Lakes are ideal for wind energy. So where is it?
Read the Center for Water Policy’s research on Offshore Wind:
Cora Sutherland and Melissa Scanlan, Great Lakes Offshore Wind: An Analysis of Coastal Management Planning Tools, 6 Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies 308 (2025).