Latest news with #VineyardWind
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New York's monstrous new wind farm threatens environmental disaster
Earlier this month, the Trump administration temporarily took the wind out of New York's green energy ambitions by halting the enormous Empire Wind project off the state's coast. Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary, directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to cease all construction activities on the farm, citing rushed approvals and insufficient interagency consultation under the Biden administration. He also ordered a broader review of federal wind permitting practices for both existing and pending projects. Following blowback from New York politicians, however, the Interior Department has once again allowed the project to proceed. It was right the first time. As president Trump has observed, wind power is both ugly and noisy. These projects are also of dubious economic and environmental value, and have sparked a backlash among voters that their advocates have little answer to. The Empire Wind project, developed by Norwegian energy giant Equinor ASA, will be the first offshore wind farm to deliver electricity directly to New York City. Granted approval in November 2023, it was the sixth such project approved by the Biden administration as part of its goal to reach 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030. With a projected capacity of 810 megawatts and a gross book value of $2.5 billion, construction began last month with rock installations around the turbine bases. Some local residents have always opposed the Empire Wind project. Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, condemned it as 'the industrialisation of our ocean, rubber-stamped by federal agencies and delivered by a foreign-owned corporation under the guise of climate action'. She warned that the project involves dumping 3.2 billion pounds of rock into the ocean and pile-driving 180-foot monopoles into the seafloor – activities that she said could destroy marine habitats and threaten the fishing industry. Endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale could also be harmed, she added. Opposition to Empire Wind is not an isolated case. In Massachusetts, the Vineyard Wind 1 project – a 62-turbine wind energy plant off Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard – recently survived a Supreme Court challenge. Approved in 2021, it was the first large-scale offshore wind project in the US and is expected to deliver 800 megawatts of capacity. Construction began in 2022 with cable installation and continued in 2023 with turbine installation. It is on track to be completed this year but has faced a substantial backlash. The Nantucket-based ACK for Whales group has criticised the 'environmental damage caused by offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind'. It added: 'for way too long the 'all of government approach' advancing offshore wind has been reckless'. Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, the Revolution Wind project is also facing hostility. The nonprofit Green Oceans has formally requested that the Environmental Protection Agency revoke the project's permits, citing a failure to consider emissions from potential blade failures. Despite this, construction continues. The SouthCoast Wind project, approved only recently, is one of the largest of them all. Spanning 127,388 acres and potentially costing $5 billion, it is claimed that it could produce up to 2.4 gigawatts of energy for Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Yet the environmental costs could be significant. The National Marine Fisheries Service has authorised the 'take' of marine mammals due to pile driving, unexploded ordnance detonation, and high-resolution geophysical surveys. The noise from pile-driving can exceed 225 underwater decibels – comparable to standing next to a Boeing 747 engine underwater – posing serious risks to marine life. The SouthCoast Wind Project's record of decision includes pages of comments from individuals citing safety risks, aesthetic concerns, and threats to whale populations. These voices are often drowned out by the political momentum behind green energy, but they deserve to be heard. Radar interference is another concern. According to a Government Accountability Office report, wind turbines could reduce radar performance. Offshore wind plants may also obstruct military exercises and vessel movement. The full extent of these effects remains unknown, but experts warn that turbine position, height, and spacing could have significant consequences. The UK is also seeing blowback on wind. Earlier this month, the Danish company Orsted pulled out of building Hornsea 4, a large wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire, due higher interest rates and increased supply chain costs. This should be a moment of reflection. Both the UK and Europe have embraced wind power as a pillar of their net-zero strategies, but opposition is beginning to surface. A similar phenomenon is happening in the United States, after the Biden administration's precipitous decision-making. States which require use of renewable energy tend to have higher prices than states that use fossil fuels and nuclear power. Offshore wind is noisy, and ugly, and it becomes less desirable when approached with transparency, scientific rigour, and respect for the ecosystems it affects. Rushing through approvals without rigorous oversight is not climate leadership – it's recklessness. Green energy must meet the same standards we demand of any major infrastructure project. Diana Furchtgott-Roth is the director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment at The Heritage Foundation Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
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
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nantucket anti-wind group petitions feds to halt Vineyard Wind 1
By Dean Geddes, dgeddes@ After the Trump administration suspended the Empire Wind offshore energy project over claims of rushed approvals and inadequate analysis, Nantucket nonprofit ACK For Whales is urging federal regulators to take similar action against Vineyard Wind. The group is calling for Vineyard Wind's revised construction plan to be revoked due to unresolved safety and environmental concerns. The island nonprofit, which opposes offshore wind development, has formally petitioned the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to rescind the construction and operations plan for Vineyard Wind 1. The revised plan was approved Jan. 17, 2025, following a major turbine blade failure and the discovery of potential manufacturing defects affecting as many as 66 blades. 'On April 16, 2025, Doug Burgum, Secretary of Interior, directed BOEM to issue a suspension order of the Empire Offshore Wind project off New York, citing serious deficiencies in analyses and rushed approvals. Vineyard Wind 1, subject to the same highly expedited process, is replete with analytic deficiencies,' the petition states. The group claims the revised operations plan fails to adequately assess the environmental risks posed by frequent blade failures, such as marine debris. It also argues that the plan was approved without public comment, lacks a root cause analysis of the July 2024 blade failure and does not include sufficient response plans for future incidents. 'The public at large on Nantucket has had significant concerns go unanswered since the July 13, 2024, blade failure,' they noted. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement agreed to take written public questions and answer them by Jan 4. BSEE received hundreds of questions from the public and the meeting was postponed to Feb. 3, then indefinitely postponed, according to announcements relayed by the Nantucket Select Board. 'Neither the broad set of questions submitted by the public or the answers to them were ever shared with the public,' the petition said. The petition was signed by ACK For Whales members Vallorie Oliver, Amy DiSibio and Veronica Bonnet. The full petition can be found here. On Wednesday, Burgum directed BOEM to halt construction of Empire Wind, a fully-permitted project planned off the coast of Long Island. He said it needed further review because its permitting was potentially rushed by the Biden administration. Vineyard Wind 1, the nation's first utility-scale offshore wind facility, when completed, will include 62 turbines that will generate enough electricity to power 400,000 homes and businesses, according to the Vineyard Wind website. The Inquirer and Mirror on Nantucket is a news partner of To subscribe to The Inquirer and Mirror, click here. Cape Cod marine rescue team tries to free right whale from deadly entanglement ICE arrests Brazilian woman charged with raping child on Cape Cod Mass. House Speaker Mariano resists calls for indicted Cape Cod rep. to resign More than 40 rabbits at the MSPCA need new homes ahead of Easter Sunday Bill would require motorcycle license to drive mopeds in Massachusetts
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
PHOTOS: Biden's ‘ambitious climate goals' go down in literal flames by popular American beach
A major part of a first-of-its-kind green energy project, which the Biden administration bragged about, is now lying in ruins and polluting some of America's beautiful ocean and seashore in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Exclusive images obtained by Fox News Digital show the shattered remains of what is left of an ocean wind turbine constructed by Vineyard Wind in a green energy project touted by the Biden administration. The turbine was recently struck by lightning and destroyed just months after one of its blades dangerously fell into the Atlantic Ocean, dropping non-biodegradable fiberglass shards into the water, some of which washed ashore, forcing six Nantucket beaches to close. Ex-biden Campaign Staffer Slams Former President's Team For Knowing He Was 'Not Capable,' Feels 'Lied To' The Cape Cod Times reported that the broken turbine was hit by lightning on Feb. 27 and "caught fire, and detached." Today – just a few years after the Biden administration announced the project in 2021 – the turbine sits in ruins with its interior materials being exposed just about 14 nautical miles from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Read On The Fox News App In May 2021, the Biden-era Department of Interior announced the approval of the construction and operation of the Vineyard Wind project, which it said would be the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States. The administration touted the project as contributing to their green energy goals. Former President Joe Biden's Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland called the project an "important step toward advancing the Administration's goals to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation." Ex-biden Aide Says Former President Was 'Fatigued, Befuddled, And Disengaged' Prior To June Debate: Book She said it was "one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans." Biden's Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, "This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration's ambitious climate goals, and I'm proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind." However, after the project went down in literal flames, local residents had much more choice words to say about the Biden administration's "ambitious climate goals." "Everybody wants a healthy planet, but when the ones advocating for a green planet are the ones damaging it, it makes you pause," Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy, a Nantucket homeowner, told Fox News Digital after the blade detached and fell into the ocean. 'Ruined By Negligence': Dave Portnoy Blasts Nantucket Wind Farm After Broken Blade Shuts Down Beaches Portnoy lamented those who paid good money only to be unable to visit the closed beaches. "Families save up for years to take a vacation to Nantucket only to have it ruined by negligence," he said. Mary Chalke, another local resident, posted on X on Mar. 23 that she was continuing to find blade fiberglass debris washing ashore on a Nantucket beach on the south side of the island. The Vineyard Gazette reported that the broken blade had a manufacturing defect that was not caught during inspections and that there were 66 other blades in the project that could potentially have the same problem. The outlet reported that Vineyard Wind has been ordered to remove all the potentially defective blades. Dems Mum On Trump's Court Fights Despite Trying To Limit Biden-blocking Judges The outlet said that as of January, only one turbine of the 62 planned was running. A source familiar with the project said its catastrophic failure is a "shining example of how these failed green energy projects pose a hazard to the environment." "It wasn't by chance that this wind turbine was struck by lightning just months after it fell apart into the ocean," the source said. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump paused new or renewed approvals, rights-of-way, permits, leases or loans for offshore wind projects pending a review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. He also issued a memorandum temporarily withdrawing the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind article source: PHOTOS: Biden's 'ambitious climate goals' go down in literal flames by popular American beach
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
PHOTOS: Biden's ‘ambitious climate goals' go down in literal flames by popular American beach
A major part of a first-of-its-kind green energy project, which the Biden administration bragged about, is now lying in ruins and polluting some of America's beautiful ocean and seashore in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Exclusive images obtained by Fox News Digital show the shattered remains of what is left of an ocean wind turbine constructed by Vineyard Wind in a green energy project touted by the Biden administration. The turbine was recently struck by lightning and destroyed just months after one of its blades dangerously fell into the Atlantic Ocean, dropping non-biodegradable fiberglass shards into the water, some of which washed ashore, forcing six Nantucket beaches to close. The Cape Cod Times reported that the broken turbine was hit by lightning on Feb. 27 and "caught fire, and detached." Today – just a few years after the Biden administration announced the project in 2021 – the turbine sits in ruins with its interior materials being exposed just about 14 nautical miles from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. In May 2021, the Biden-era Department of Interior announced the approval of the construction and operation of the Vineyard Wind project, which it said would be the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States. The administration touted the project as contributing to their green energy goals. Former President Joe Biden's Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland called the project an "important step toward advancing the Administration's goals to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation." She said it was "one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans." Biden's Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, "This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration's ambitious climate goals, and I'm proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind." However, after the project went down in literal flames, local residents had much more choice words to say about the Biden administration's "ambitious climate goals." "Everybody wants a healthy planet, but when the ones advocating for a green planet are the ones damaging it, it makes you pause," Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy, a Nantucket homeowner, told Fox News Digital after the blade detached and fell into the ocean. Portnoy lamented those who paid good money only to be unable to visit the closed beaches. "Families save up for years to take a vacation to Nantucket only to have it ruined by negligence," he said. Mary Chalke, another local resident, posted on X on Mar. 23 that she was continuing to find blade fiberglass debris washing ashore on a Nantucket beach on the south side of the island. The Vineyard Gazette reported that the broken blade had a manufacturing defect that was not caught during inspections and that there were 66 other blades in the project that could potentially have the same problem. The outlet reported that Vineyard Wind has been ordered to remove all the potentially defective blades. The outlet said that as of January, only one turbine of the 62 planned was running. A source familiar with the project said its catastrophic failure is a "shining example of how these failed green energy projects pose a hazard to the environment." "It wasn't by chance that this wind turbine was struck by lightning just months after it fell apart into the ocean," the source said. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump paused new or renewed approvals, rights-of-way, permits, leases or loans for offshore wind projects pending a review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. He also issued a memorandum temporarily withdrawing the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind leasing.
