Latest news with #VineyardWind1
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 Journals
20-05-2025
- Science
- Business Journals
Vineyard Wind mum on project status as clean energy goals lag
The offshore substation that each of Vineyard Wind 1's 62 turbines are intended to connect to (right) is seen on Aug. 1, 2023. At left is the "cable lay vessel" Giulio Verne, which connected the wind farm's export cable to the substation.
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.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trooper hospitalized after crashing state police motorcycle in Lexington
A Massachusetts State Police trooper was hospitalized Saturday morning after crashing a state police motorcycle in Lexington. The crash occurred around 6:30 a.m. in the area of 1 Cranberry Hill, state police told MassLive. It appears the single-vehicle crash was caused by road debris, police said. The motorcycle could be seen in Hobbs Creek, WCVB reported. The trooper was brought to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be released. The crash happened near the location of the 250th anniversary event for the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Mass. State Lottery winners: 5 tickets worth $100K won, claimed on Friday Nantucket anti-wind group petitions feds to halt Vineyard Wind 1 Trump called out for false claim about gas prices Woman struck by car while crossing street in Newburyport, police say Major toilet paper manufacturer files for bankruptcy
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
