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Business Wire
6 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:
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Supreme Court Won't Hear Challenge to Wind Energy Project off Massachusetts Coast
The Supreme Court decided on May 5 not to hear a challenge to the federal government's approval of a major offshore wind project off the Massachusetts coast. The court's decision came without comment in an unsigned The project, known as Vineyard Wind 1, is located 15 miles off the coast of Nantucket Island. The case goes back to 2021, when the Biden administration approved dozens of wind energy generation projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts 'in a rush to replace fossil fuels as this nation's primary source of electricity,' according to the The shelf refers to all submerged land and seabed that belongs to the United States and is outside the jurisdiction or authority of individual U.S. states. The departments of the Interior, Commerce, and Defense jointly issued the environmental impact statement required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which led to approval of Vineyard Wind 1. This was 'the first of many such large-scale, industrial offshore wind energy projects slated for the OCS,' the petition said. Related Stories 9/25/2024 3/19/2024 The petitioners challenged the project, saying it was not allowed under the NEPA and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). 'The record showed the project would result in momentous adverse impacts on marine navigation, public safety, the environment, and national security,' the petition said. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit declined to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that allowed the project to move forward. The petitioners, who are represented by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, said in the petition that this decision conflicts with the Supreme Court's landmark 2024 The First Circuit did not follow established precedents and 'impermissibly deferred' to the federal government's interpretations of the NEPA and OCSLA, which created a conflict between its ruling and previous Supreme Court decisions, the petition said. The circuit court has 'unlawfully sanctioned the federal government's approval of the first of many such planned, enormous wind energy projects scheduled to industrialize the pristine waters of America's outer Continental Shelf … a decision that has grave adverse consequences for marine safety, the environment, and national security,' the petition said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
