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Business Wire
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Green Oceans Report Reveals Systematic Non-Compliance in Offshore Wind Development
LITTLE COMPTON, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Oceans, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, today released its comprehensive report entitled, Cancelling Offshore Wind Leases. The report, by Planet A Strategies, analyzes the legal frameworks underlying federal agency decision-making for offshore wind (OSW) development in six offshore wind projects located in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas (RI/MA WEAs), which encompass nearly a million acres of ocean territory on the outer coastal shelf. It outlines potential violations of statutory and regulatory requirements under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and finds that the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) decisions to promulgate these contracts not only exceed its statutory authority but also violate procedural law to justify projects that are causing irreversible environmental, cultural, and economic consequences. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) decisions to promulgate these contracts violate procedural law to justify projects that are causing irreversible environmental, cultural, and economic consequences. Share 'This Report demonstrates that BOEM's review of these projects was fraught with omitted, misrepresented, and arguably false information regarding its ability to provide reliable electricity,' said Green Oceans President Lisa Quattrocki Knight. 'The projects also have significant adverse environmental, economic, and national security consequences. The Trump Administration has sufficient executive authority and reason to cancel the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas leases.' Critical data and legal criteria in the report reveal possible omissions or misrepresentations by OSW project developers and government decision-makers. This is shown by citing OCSLA provisions, environmental protection statutes, state obligations to serve, Federal Power Act electricity system reliability rules, and federal requirements from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These include misrepresentations about: Bulk transmission system reliability Actual installed capacity requirements for fully decarbonized electricity generation Actual amount of electricity generated by OSW operations versus ratepayer demand Illegal segment-by-segment lease issuance Encroachment on national security operations and training Dire economic impacts on maritime activities like fishing and navigation The North Atlantic right whale population resides in the RI/MA WEA. The region also encompasses one of the last remaining spawning grounds for Southern New England cod. Offshore wind development permitted by these leases could lead to the extinction of both species. Federal documents also confirm that offshore developments will compromise the East Coast's only Early Warning Radar system operated by Cape Cod Space Force Stations, underwater threat detection capabilities, military readiness, and Coast Guard search and rescue operations. BOEM's studies acknowledge long-term, major adverse and irreversible impacts on fishing and regional fisheries, and the historical and cultural resources of the Wampanoag Nation of Gay Head/Aquinnah. The Wampanoag Nation has inhabited Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. BOEM did not adequately consider the cumulative impact of all proposed development on the entire lease area, a legal requirement of their authority. The Green Oceans report aligns with the ongoing comprehensive federal review of wind leasing and permitting practices, as directed by the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025, and makes the case for immediate intervention overwhelming, both on legal and policy grounds. The six offshore wind projects referenced throughout this announcement are: Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind, South Fork Wind, Sunrise Wind, SouthCoast Wind, and New England Wind. You may access the full report here: About Green Oceans Green Oceans is a nonprofit, non-partisan group of community members dedicated to the preservation and protection of our nation's marine ecosystems and coastal communities. For more information or to get involved, visit:
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Wire
Green Oceans and Allies Urge Interior Secretary Burgum to Halt All Offshore Wind Construction in New England Because of Flawed Permitting
LITTLE COMPTON, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Oceans, joined by a coalition of environmental, fishing, tribal, and community organizations, called upon U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to halt all offshore wind construction in the New England coastal waters. Citing a recent Government Accountability Office report that confirms repeated oversight failures by BOEM, the coalition urged Secretary Burgum to declare a comprehensive moratorium and begin a thorough reevaluation of the projects, including proper tribal consultation and cumulative impact analysis. The organizations–– Green Oceans, ACK for Whales, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Protect Our Westport Waters, Save Greater Dowses Beach, Save Right Whales Coalition, and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah––collectively petitioned Secretary Burgum to rescind the approvals for the projects and begin a 'complete reevaluation' of their permits under applicable federal laws. They cited material deficiencies in environmental impact analyses and legal violations. The coalition cited serious fears about real and imminent threats to marine ecosystems, endangered North Atlantic right whales, Tribal Cultural Resources, national security, and the regional economy posed by Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind, South Fork Wind, Sunrise Wind, SouthCoast Wind, and New England Wind. The projects' collective lease area occupies 1400 square miles of environmentally sensitive marine habitat; and if built out, would stretch from Long Island to Cape Cod. The letter, which identifies many and repeated material deficiencies in the government's approval process, the heavy burden to taxpayers, and the lack of material benefit emphasized the urgent need to act: Time is critical. Pile driving is resuming in waters currently occupied by nearly half of the remaining North Atlantic right whale population in the world. Without your immediate intervention, these projects will drive this highly endangered species closer to extinction, irreversibly damaging Tribal Cultural Resources, marine habitats, and biodiversity. As a nation, we have both a legal right and an ethical responsibility to protect these precious yet fragile resources. The letter also said the projects threaten: Critical habitat destruction impacting cod spawning grounds. Inadequate response to turbine blade failures and environmental cleanup. Severe adverse impacts on regional fisheries and economic displacement. Compromised national defense radar and marine safety capabilities. Misleading economic analyses that omit substantial regional job losses and increased electricity prices. "The future of our oceans and the countless species and communities depending on them rests on swift, decisive action," said Lisa Quattrocki Knight, President and co-founder of Green Oceans. "We respectfully call on Secretary Burgum to establish a lasting legacy of responsible ocean stewardship and lawful governance," she added. 'These projects could cost the US taxpayer over $60 billion in the next several years. They will raise the price of electricity. Higher electricity prices will displace manufacturing jobs. Fishing jobs have already been harmed. Most egregiously, these projects will not influence climate change,' said Dr. Knight. 'Every day that another pile is driven into the ecologically fragile seabed, more ocean is despoiled, more marine life is threatened, and the right whale moves closer to extinction. This is an urgent problem that needs an immediate remedy.' 'Once these turbines are built, we will have a recurring environmental catastrophe off our shores that will be difficult, if not impossible, to undo and afford. These predominantly foreign energy conglomerates that have been dependent upon federal dollars to construct them have also been unjustly relieved of the requirement to set aside funding for decommissioning. Instead, the taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. Better to stop the construction now before it's too late,' ACK for Whales President Val Oliver said. 'We are optimistic,' said Susanne Conley, Save Dowses Beach Executive Director. 'Secretary Burgum has expressed his skepticism of the offshore wind industry, writing on social media last month, 'The offshore wind industry has relied on tax subsidies for 30 years – not anymore.'' A copy of the letter can be found at
