November 1, 2o23 — A federal environmental review gives a green light to Dominion Energy‘s $9 billion offshore wind farm, located about 25 miles into the Atlantic from Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront.
The approval includes requirements aimed at reducing harm to the endangered North American Right Whale and at easing the impact of construction and operation of the wind farm on fisheries and ship traffic in and out of the world’s biggest Navy base and one of the nation’s busiest ports.
The review “weighed all concerns in making decisions regarding this Project and has determined that all practicable means within its authority have been adopted to avoid or minimize environmental and socioeconomic harm,” the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said.
It said pulling the plug on the wind farm “would still be expected to result in moderate, long-term, adverse impacts on regional air quality because other energy generation facilities would be needed.”
Those plants would be powered by fossil fuels which would emit pollutants and contribute to climate change.