Senator John Kerry, Senator Scott Brown, Congressman Barney Frank and Congressman John Tierney have written to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to express their concern about the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Enforcement's recently issued "request for interest" for potential offshore wind power development in an area in the vicinity of Georges Bank. The text of the letter follows:
February 22, 2011
The Honorable Ken Salazar
Secretary
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Salazar:
We are writing to you regarding the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Enforcement's recently issued "request for interest" for potential offshore wind power developers in the Northeast. The map proposes a 3,000 square mile area off the coast of Massachusetts for potential wind development, and the eastern edge of this area is in the vicinity of the Georges Bank fishing grounds.
Georges Bank and the Nantucket Lightship Area are critical fishing grounds for northeastern fishermen and they must be protected for future generations. We were troubled to learn that many our constituents were unaware of this proposal until the Department of Interior recently held a hearing in New Bedford, Massachusetts on February 16 with the comment period ending only 12 days later on February 28th, We feel that amount of time is insufficient for affected stakeholders to analyze and submit comments on an energy development proposal that could have lasting impacts in the region.
Additionally, we feel that the Bureau did not adequately consult with the fishing industry or even the Federal fisheries regulators prior to drafting their map. We respectfully request that the Bureau properly consult with the fishing industry on this matter and we ask that you extend the comment period by an additional thirty days to allow stakeholders an opportunity to provide their valuable input into this process.
Thank you for attention to this important issue and we look forward to your reply.
Senator John Kerry
Senator Scott Brown
Congressman Barney Frank
Congressman John Tierney