Saving Seafood

Who Should Build the Coming US Offshore Grid?

June 21, 2019 — New York and New Jersey policymakers have established some of the nation’s most ambitious offshore wind targets. New Jersey plans to deploy 3,500 megawatts (MW) offshore wind capacity by 2030; New York is aiming for 9,000 MW installed by 2035.

With the targets in place, attention is now turning to the question of how best to deliver power from multiple projects comprising hundreds of megawatts each to the onshore grid.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced this week it would publish a “Request for Competitive Interest” for the development of transmission infrastructure off the coasts of New York and New Jersey.

The move by BOEM is in response to an unsolicited application from Anbaric Development Partners for the right to build an offshore transmission system up to 185 nautical miles long in the area. Anbaric is a Boston-based transmission developer backed by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Read the full story at Green Tech Media

MAINE: Mills signs wind bill, announces plans to advance offshore energy

June 21, 2019 — Stalled efforts to test a floating wind farm off the Maine coast got back on track Wednesday after Gov. Janet Mills signed legislation directing the Public Utilities Commission to approve the contract for Maine Aqua Ventus, a first-of-its-kind wind project in the United States.

“With the innovative work being done at the University of Maine, our state has the potential to lead the world in floating offshore wind development,” Mills said. “This long-overdue bill will move us in that direction.”

Mills also announced two collaborative efforts to put the state back in the game for offshore wind energy research.

First, Maine has accepted an invitation from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to participate with New Hampshire and Massachusetts in a federally led Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Regional Task Force on offshore wind. The goal is to identify potential opportunities for renewable energy leasing and development on the outer continental shelf.

Mills also announced that she will create the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative. The state-based program will identify opportunities for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine and determine how Maine can best position itself to benefit from future offshore wind projects, including opportunities for job creation, supply chain and port development, and offshore wind’s impact on Maine’s energy future.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Path forward for offshore wind leasing on OCS

June 13, 2019 — What is the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s overall offshore wind leasing strategy? This is a question that is frequently asked during the many wind events in which we participate.

The demand for offshore wind energy has never been greater. Plummeting costs, technological advances, skyrocketing demand and great economic potential have all combined to make offshore wind a highly promising avenue for adding to a diversified national energy portfolio.

The U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) provides a world-class wind resource on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

At the same time, BOEM recognizes that the ocean is already a very busy place, and so we must consider other uses, such as commercial and recreational fishing, vessel traffic, and military mission needs, in addition to important environmental considerations. This is why engaging stakeholders — including federal, state and local agencies, fishing communities, and the public — throughout our processes is such an essential part of our renewable energy program.

BOEM has 15 active commercial leases for offshore wind development that could support more than 21 gigawatts of generating capacity. The first commercial scale offshore wind facility on the OCS could be under construction as early as this year.

Read the full story at WorkBoat

U.S. Regional Offshore Wind Leasing Strategy Announced

June 13, 2019 — The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has published a new regional offshore wind leasing strategy, saying the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) provides a world-class wind resource on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. BOEM has 15 active commercial leases for offshore wind development that could support more than 21 gigawatts of generating capacity. The first commercial scale offshore wind facility on the OCS could be under construction as early as this year.

However, BOEM notes the need to consider other uses, such as commercial and recreational fishing, vessel traffic and military mission needs and and will be moving forward with leasing using a regional approach, processing projects currently in the pipeline, and pursuing leasing activities as follows:

Gulf of Maine. On January 2, 2019, BOEM received a letter from the Governor of New Hampshire requesting the establishment of an Intergovernmental Task Force.  Although the State of Maine and Commonwealth of Massachusetts have not yet expressed interest in promoting development in this area, BOEM believes that the establishment of a regional task force for the Gulf of Maine area that includes Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts governmental members will support further dialogue and collaboration on offshore wind matters affecting shared natural, socioeconomic, and cultural resources on a regional scale.

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

Military’s Issues With Offshore Wind Farms Now Added to U.S. Spending Bills

June 6, 2019 — The U.S. military has been eyeing America’s offshore wind development, concerned about impacts on training and operations, with project-siting issues brewing in some states. The dispute moved to the national stage May 21 when a House of Representatives committee passed federal appropriations bills that would set new curbs on where turbines could go. Industry advocates say they are duplicative impact mandates.

The House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to fiscal 2020 spending bills for the U.S. Defense and Interior departments to require more National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study of turbine construction and operations impacts on marine life.

Introduced by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), it also says wind turbines in large arrays may interfere with radar and underwater sonar, and directs DOD to issue a report next year to address possible national security issues.

The amendment comes as Maryland enacted on May 22 a bill to raise its offshore wind commitment by up to 1,200 MW.

“Some in Congress continue to seek to sow conflict between offshore energy development and military operations,” said Randall Luthi, National Ocean Industries Association president. He said developers and DOD have long worked “with NATO allies in the North Sea.”

Read the full story at the Engineering News-Record

Interior: Nine seismic testing permits in process

May 16, 2019 — Interior Secretary David Bernhardt told the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee that the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remains working on seismic airgun testing permits — a key prerequisite to offshore oil and gas drilling — while issues regarding the legality of the Trump administration’s offshore leasing plan work their way through the federal court system.

In late March, a federal district judge in Alaska ruled Executive Order 13795, and subsequent efforts by the Trump administration to open up offshore drilling access in waters off Alaska and the Atlantic Coast, were illegal in attempting to repeal former President Barack Obama’s withdrawal of unleased lands in those areas under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Since that point, there’s been some confusion about what the Interior Department will and won’t do. Attorneys for the federal government stated in a May 9 status report — in the seismic testing lawsuit in federal court in Charleston, S.C. — that neither the department nor Bernhardt made any announcement that Interior “may wait until the resolution of any potential appeal” of that ruling before making decisions on authorizing offshore activities.

Read the full story at The Brunswick News

Vineyard Wind project receives key approval in Massachusetts

May 15, 2019 — Vineyard Wind got the approval of Massachusetts authorities to build and operate electric transmission facilities that will deliver 800 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to the regional power grid.

The approval by the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) represents a key milestone in the development of the first commercial-scale offshore wind generation facility in the United States.

“Approval by the Massachusetts EFSB is another affirmation of the collaborative, community-focused approach that Vineyard Wind has taken in designing and developing the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project,” Erich Stephens, chief development officer of Vineyard Wind, said. “We want to thank the residents and officials of the Town of Barnstable who took the time to explore opportunities to address local concerns while simultaneously delivering enough cost-competitive, carbon-free energy to serve six percent of the Commonwealth’s electricity demand, making the project a real win-win-win.”

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved long-term power purchase contracts between Vineyard Wind and Massachusetts’ electric distribution companies in April for the delivery of wind energy.

“Today’s decision is another critical step forward as Vineyard Wind moves toward beginning on-shore construction later this year,” said Laura Beane, president and CEO of Avangrid Renewables, a partner in the Vineyard Wind joint venture. “The future of the American offshore wind energy industry is rising in Massachusetts thanks to the commitment of many stakeholders to deliver competitive solutions to climate change, and we remain committed to delivering environmental benefits and economic opportunity through our investment.”

The project moves forward as the owners seek more than 25 federal, state, and local approval processes. Reviews are still pending from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Army Corps of Engineers, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Cape Cod Commission, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and local conservation commissions.

Read the full story at Daily Energy Insider

NEW YORK: Offshore Oil Drilling Is on Hold

May 3, 2019 — The Trump administration’s plan to allow oil and gas exploration and extraction off the Atlantic Coast is apparently on indefinite hold.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that a federal judge’s March declaration that President Trump’s order revoking a ban on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic is illegal may force the federal Department of the Interior to wait until that case is resolved before a final decision can be made about which offshore areas would be opened to the fossil-fuel industry.

Separately, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, with the musician Billy Joel by his side, signed legislation on Monday to ban offshore drilling in New York State waters. The legislation, according to a release from the governor’s office, will bar the state from granting permits for oil or gas exploration or drilling in offshore areas controlled by the state.

“This bill says no way are you going to drill off the coast of Long Island and New York,” the governor said in the statement, “because we must lead the way as an alternative to what this federal government is doing.”

The March decision by U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason once again rendered 3.8 million acres of the Atlantic Ocean, along with 125 million acres of the Arctic Ocean, off limits to exploration and drilling under a ban President Obama enacted in December 2016, shortly before leaving office.

“The recent announcement that the Trump administration is backing down on oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic Seaboard is good news,” East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in an email on Tuesday, “as is Governor Cuomo’s signing yesterday of state legislation that would prohibit drilling for oil or gas exploration in state offshore waters.”

Read the full story at The East Hampton Star

MASSACHUSETTS: New England Is Not Prepared For The World’s Largest Offshore Windfarm

May 2, 2019 –Commercial fishing families, as stewards of the ocean, are concerned that a new industry is developing at a rapid pace without adequate science and risk management. By the end of the year, Vineyard Wind intends to begin construction on its 84-turbine offshore wind farm south of Cape Cod. It will be one of the largest wind farms in the world and it will be built on essential marine habitat.

By the end 2025, Vineyard Wind and other foreign-owned wind energy companies, plan to build over 1,000 turbines in a 1,400 square mile lease area. Combined, they will dwarf other wind farms around the world. And they will build it without adequate scientific understanding of the harm they could cause to the migratory route for millions of marine animals, the feeding grounds for right whales, and the traditional fishing grounds of thousands of fishermen and recreational boaters.

Read the full release here

Sound and fury: Trump administration pushes forward on seismic mapping in Atlantic

May 2, 2019 — The Trump administration is pressing ahead with processing permits that would allow companies to search for oil and gas deposits using potentially harmful seismic blasts in the Atlantic Ocean, despite its decision to delay an unprecedented plan to sell federal leases on nearly the entire U.S. outer continental shelf.

Seven geology companies are vying for permits at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a division of the Interior Department, to map the ocean floor from New Jersey to Florida using seismic sound waves that, according to some scientists, harm fish and marine mammals, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale that relies on echo location to find food and mates and to keep in touch with its rare offspring.

Bureau officials confirmed this week that permits are being considered regardless of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s decision to shelve its five-year leasing plan in federal waters on the outer continental shelf. The decision followed a ruling in March by U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason that President Trump’s revocation of an Obama administration ban on oil and gas industry drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans is illegal. Only Congress can undo the ban, the judge said.

Seismic mapping is also being challenged in court by conservation groups and state attorneys general along the Eastern Seaboard. A federal judge in South Carolina is considering an injunction request against any work moving forward until the case is decided. Oil and gas leases and seismic mapping are also opposed by Democratic and Republican governors along the coast, along with congressional and state lawmakers.

Read the full story at The Washington Post