Saving Seafood

Comment on Revolution Wind’s draft EIS

September 7, 2022 —

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released a 598-page draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm proposed to be constructed in Rhode Island waters. A 1,178-page appendix document with more information surrounding the project and the draft environmental impact statement was also released.

According to the Revolution Wind website, this project will provide “Connecticut and Rhode Island residents 100 percent renewable energy to help conserve the New England environment.” However, the offshore wind farm will be closest to Martha’s Vineyard, 12 miles southwest of the Island. The project will be 15 miles away from Rhode Island, and 32 miles away from Connecticut. The project is anticipated to have 100 turbines and two export cables. The export cables will make landfall in Rhode Island. Revolution Wind is owned by Orsted and Eversource.

Read the full article at MV Times

Fishing Industry Calls for Additional Review of Offshore Wind Industry

September 7, 2022 — One of the U.S.’s leading commercial fishing ports has joined a growing list of stakeholders demanding greater protection of the fishing industry from possible threats emanating from the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry. The New Bedford Port Authority (NBPA) in a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is calling for the federal government to increase protections for the commercial fishing industry. They are cautioning that current policies for offshore wind development could greatly underestimate the shoreside impacts on seafood processors and fleet operations in ports.

In a letter to BOEM Director Amanda Lefton, NBPA says that the ongoing plans to advance offshore wind must safeguard the viability of commercial fishing enterprises. The letter addresses BOEM’s draft guidelines for Offshore Wind Fisheries Mitigation and supplements comments the NBPA submitted in January advocating for efforts requiring offshore wind developers to commit to mitigation measures for the fishing industry.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

The Gulf’s first offshore wind energy zones prompt concerns from Texas, shrugs from Louisiana

September 1, 2022 — Federal regulators have heard little from Louisiana about a wind energy zone proposed in the Gulf of Mexico near Lake Charles, part of a push by President Joe Biden’s administration to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has been asking the public to weigh in on the Gulf’s first two proposed wind energy zones: the 188,000-acre area south of Lake Charles and a 547,000-acre area near Galveston, Texas.

The Lake Charles zone, which would be located about 38 miles from the coast, could generate power for almost 800,000 homes – about half the households in Louisiana – and spur engineering and construction jobs for a region hit hard by Hurricane Laura and other storms. The Galveston zone could produce enough power for 2.3 million homes, according to BOEM estimates.

BOEM recently extended the comment period from late August to Sept. 2. As of Monday, BOEM had received 60 comments on the proposed zones. Most of the comments were from Texas groups and residents. The most common concerns were over the survival of migratory birds and ensuring that wind farms offer safe, good-paying jobs.

Read the full article at nola.com

BOEM Seeks Public Comment on Draft Environmental Analysis for Proposed Wind Energy Project Offshore Rhode Island

August 29, 2022 — The following was released by the BOEM:

The Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) today announced the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Revolution Wind energy project offshore Rhode Island.

The Notice of Availability for the Revolution Wind environmental analysis will publish in the Federal Register on Sept. 2, opening a 45-day public comment period that ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 17. The input received via this process will inform preparation of the Final EIS.

“Collaborating with all stakeholders and ocean users throughout the leasing and development process is vital,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “We’re committed to maintaining open and transparent communication with all stakeholders, and value public input. BOEM is using the best available science as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to avoid and minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life.”

Revolution Wind, LLC submitted a Construction and Operation Plan (COP) for its proposed wind farm of up to 100 wind turbines located approximately 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island. The expected megawatt (MW) capacity range for this project is 704 to 880 MW, enough to power at least 300,000 homes. The DEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the project as described in the COP and several alternatives to the proposed action.

BOEM will use the findings of the EIS to inform its decision on whether to approve Revolution Wind’s COP, and if so, what mitigation measures to require.

Read the full release here

Virginia urges caution to avoid wind power conflicts with fishing, shipping industries

July 6, 2022 — Virginia state officials cautioned the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that its proposed opening of 4 million acres off the Mid-Atlantic coast for wind energy development must include early steps to avoid conflicts with commercial fishing and navigation to the state’s ports.

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s top cabinet officials sent a June 27 letter to BOEM stating support for wind power, but urging that planning “balance the competing interests of all stakeholders.”

The letter notes a potential for “millions of dollars of negative impact to Virginia’s commercial fishing industries.”

“While supportive of the growth of the offshore wind industry and the opportunities for the commonwealth to provide critical support to the offshore wind industry supply chain and become a key hub for future development, we must ensure any future leasing areas do not detrimentally impact or restrict maritime commerce or commercial navigation,” the letter states.

Virginia is heavily invested in offshore wind with a goal of making the Norfolk and Hampton Roads ports a major hub for the U.S. wind industry. Under former Democratic governor Ralph Northam the state committed to offshore wind in its future energy planning.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Our View: We must have a say in offshore wind plans

June 30, 2022 — Few dispute the need to develop alternative ways to generate electricity that don’t produce greenhouse gases, but our response to a proposed floating offshore wind farm in Washington state isn’t a straightforward “yes.”

Similar complications arise regarding floating wind turbines off the southern Oregon Coast. These prompted the Astoria City Council and the Port of Astoria Commission to recently ask the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Oregon Department of Energy to take their time before granting permission. Local officials want a demonstration project before grander plans are authorized, along with a full-scale environmental impact analysis.

In Washington state, the development being pursued by Seattle-based Trident Winds is generating misgivings among some users of offshore waters, who fear the wind farm located about 45 miles west of the mouths of Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor — and the cables linking it to the shore — could be one more blow to fisheries and the environment.

To put these concerns in a historical context, hydropower development in the 20th century in the Columbia River watershed came with many promises about preserving salmon runs and small-town economies. We all know how that turned out.

Read the full story at The Daily Astorian

 

Study: Offshore wind development could reduce surf clam catch revenue by as much as 15%

June 28, 2022 — Offshore wind farms could reduce the catch of Atlantic surf clams in the mid-Atlantic, according to a new study from Rutgers University.

The research published last week was funded by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Rutgers associate professor Daphne Munroe found that the leases for wind projects could reduce surf clam revenue by 3-15% in the area from Virginia to Massachusetts. The fishery is worth more than $30 million annually.

The study did not include Maine, but adds to a sparse but growing body of research about potential conflicts between offshore wind and fishing.

Read the full story at Maine Public

 

BOEM Seeks Public Comment on Draft Fisheries Mitigation Strategy

June 23, 2022 — As part of its efforts to ensure that offshore renewable energy development occurs in a thoughtful manner that minimizes conflicts with other ocean users, today the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of draft guidance on mitigating potential impacts of offshore wind development on commercial and recreational fishing and is inviting public review and comment on the draft.

This draft mitigation document is the next step in the development of guidance for offshore wind companies that was begun in the winter of 2021 through a Request for Information from the fishing industry, government agencies, non-government organizations, and the general public, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

Today’s announcement initiates a 60-day public review and comment period on the draft guidance, which will end at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern) on August 22, 2022.

“Fishing communities and fisheries stakeholders are critical to our offshore energy development process, and we’re looking forward to discussions on this draft guidance,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “We’re seeking open and honest conversations focused on finding solutions to potential challenges as we work to provide clean, safe domestic energy for American taxpayers while at the same time providing good-paying jobs and building a U.S. supply chain to support this effort.”

The draft guidance provides detailed processes and methodologies to the offshore wind industry and lessees to mitigate impacts to fisheries in the areas of project siting, design, navigation, access, safety, and financial compensation. This guidance will help ensure consistent use of data and methodologies across projects and states and assist lessees and BOEM in the preparation and review of construction and operations plans.

To facilitate comments, BOEM will hold a series of public meetings to discuss the contents of the draft guidance and hear from commercial and recreational fishers and other interested parties firsthand.

Meetings will be held on the following dates and times:

  • July 11, 9 to 11 a.m. EDT: East Coast Meeting
  • July 15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT: West Coast Meeting
  • July 18, 9 to 11 a.m. CDT: Gulf Coast Meeting
  • July 21, 9 to 11 a.m. EDT: Developers Meeting

Registration for the meetings and additional information will be shared on BOEM’s website in the coming days.

While these meetings are focused on obtaining input from the fishing industry and recreational fishers, they are open to the public and anyone can provide comments via regulations.gov.

BOEM will review and consider comments on the draft guidance as it develops final guidance over the summer of 2022.

“We want feedback on the entirety of mitigation framework, from facility design considerations to recommendations on compensatory mitigation, particularly from the people and organizations that this guidance is meant to aid,” said BOEM Marine Biologist Brian Hooker.

For more information about the draft guidance, how to register for the fisheries mitigation workshops, and how to submit comments, visit BOEM’s website.

Read the release from BOEM

 

Enjoy the View While It Lasts. Jersey Shore with 100s of Wind Turbines Revealed

June 20, 2022 — They look like small white crosses along the ocean horizon, about an eighth of an inch in size to ocean gazers along New Jersey’s beaches and shore communities.

But those little marks are actually giant, spinning wind turbines more than 900 feet tall, and they will span full panoramic views in places like Little Egg Harbor near southern Long Beach Island and Stone Harbor just north of Cape May, according to new illustrations released as part of the state’s first planned offshore wind farm.

The images were released for the first time publicly by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on June 17. BOEM published hundreds of pages of analysis, data, graphics and illustrations that reveal much of the details that have not been publicly known about New Jersey’s forthcoming offshore wind farms.

Read the full story at NBC Philadelphia

 

Proposed N.J. wind farm could have major impact on area fisheries, draft report says

June 20, 2022 — A proposed wind farm off the Jersey Shore could significantly affect local fisheries and boat traffic but generally have little impact on tourism and marine life while helping to move away from oil and gas, according to the draft environmental impact statement released Friday by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The impact statement is the next step toward winning federal approval for Ocean Wind, a wind farm to be built by the Danish energy company Ørsted and PSEG.

The draft statement addressed concerns by officials in some New Jersey beach towns that the turbines would spoil the ocean views and discourage tourists from returning.

It said the impact of the wind farm would be moderate on tourism due to noise from construction and the new structures, but that the wind turbines could attract tourists eager to see them.

The impact on cultural artifacts could be significant as “the introduction of intrusive visual elements” could “alter character-defining ocean views of historic properties onshore” and work on the ocean floor could disturb shipwrecks or submerged archaeological sites, the statement said.

And the significant impacts on fisheries could be attributed to ongoing regulations, climate change and the disruptions to operations by the construction and installation of the turbines, the report said. Some fishing vessels would decide to avoid the area altogether.

Read the full story at NJ.com