Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Federal, state officials attend Nantucket Select Board meeting to address Vineyard Wind turbine incident

August 8, 2024 — Federal and state officials attended the Nantucket Select Board meeting on Wednesday to address ongoing concerns about the damaged wind turbine that has cast debris onto the island’s beaches since early July.

“There are still parts of the blade that are remaining on the turbine,” said Roger Martella, the chief sustainability officer of GE Vernova, the blade’s manufacturer. He estimated it to be about seven to eight percent of the mass of the blade.

Martella said that on Thursday, if weather permits, crews plan to remove that remaining part of the blade that’s currently at risk of falling into the ocean.

One resident asked if the high winds expected from Tropical Storm Debby could loosen other blades.

But Martella said that was not likely.

“The storm is not a risk for the turbines or the blades or anything like that,” Martella said during the meeting, which was livestreamed.

Read the full article at the Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: New offshore wind projects delayed by state, including areas off Martha’s Vineyard

August 8, 2024 — It’s going to be at least another month before contenders for the state’s fourth, and largest, offshore wind procurement will be unveiled.

The state Department of Energy Resources on Tuesday indicated in a letter submitted to Department of Public Utilities Secretary Mark Marini that selection of projects will be postponed until Sept. 6. The agency’s evaluation team was originally scheduled to announce the selected bids and the start of negotiations on Aug. 7.

“The additional time is needed to consider any impacts to this solicitation from the recently announced federal grant to New England states through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Innovation Program for projects to invest in regional electric infrastructure to ready the onshore transmission system for offshore wind,” the letter reads.

Read the full article at Yahoo! News

New England scores $389M from feds for energy

August 8, 2024 — The federal government is awarding $389 million to the New England states for regional electric infrastructure upgrades.

State officials announced the funding award earlier this week, saying the Power Up New England proposal features upgrades to interconnection points in southeast Massachusetts and southeast Connecticut to prepare the region for more offshore wind power.

Read the full article at Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Vineyard Wind turbine debris makes it to Cape Cod

August 7, 2024 — Debris from the failed Vineyard Wind Turbine has washed ashore in Falmouth, town officials said, weeks after a blade broke off and fell into the ocean.

The turbine, manufactured by GE Vernova and part of the Vineyard Wind project, failed on July 13. The debris has scattered across nearby beaches, angering residents on Nantucket.

A preliminary investigation by GE found that the failure was due to a manufacturing deviation.

In a statement, Falmouth says it found what they believe to be wind turbine debris in the water and on the shoreline at Black Beach, Cahpoquoit Beach, Woodneck Beach, and Old Silver Beach.

Read the full article at Boston.com

MASSACHUSETTS: FDA issues warning on oysters potentially contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni

August 7, 2024 — The Food and Drug Administration is asking businesses to avoid either selling or buying certain oysters from Lewis Bay, Massachusetts, over fears that the seafood could be contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni.

The advisory affects restaurants and retailers in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, and Pennsylvania who purchased the oysters from July 1 to July 18.

The move comes after the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries closed an oyster site after an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni illnesses associated with consumption of oysters from two lease sites in Lewis Bay.

Two certified dealers, Chatham Shellfish Co. and Island Creek Oysters, recalled the oysters.

Read the full article at FOX 4

The fallout from Vineyard Wind’s broken turbine blade

August 2, 2023 — When Nantucket residents began posting photos of the fiberglass and foam littering their beaches on the morning of July 16, everyone in the offshore wind world — proponents and opponents, alike — knew the industry was about to face a very public test in confidence.

The debris had fallen from a damaged turbine blade at the nearby Vineyard Wind project. The part, made and installed by GE Vernova, had broken three days earlier, and no one really knew why.

The project’s developer, also called Vineyard Wind, scrambled to clean up the mess and assure the public that the material all over their pristine beaches was “non-toxic.” But more and more photos of the bright green debris washed up on social media, many carrying captions like “It’s everywhere” and “STOP #Bigwind!”

Soon, a picture of the broken turbine itself surfaced. The 351-foot blade had snapped about 65 feet from the base and what remained of it hung slackly, dangling over the ocean.

It was not a good look for an industry already struggling against economic headwinds and public concern about its impacts on the ocean environment. Plus, as the first large-scale offshore wind farm to earn federal approval, Vineyard Wind has always been under intense public scrutiny.

Read the full story at WBUR

Frustrated Fishermen Demand Answers, Transparency After Vineyard Wind Failure

August 2, 2024 — Members of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) are demanding a thorough investigation into the recent incident involving a detached blade from a Vineyard Wind turbine.

The mishap, which occurred on July 13, resulted in widespread debris across significant fishing areas from Nantucket to Cape Cod, causing concern among local fishermen.

Jerry Leeman, CEO of NEFSA, expressed the community’s frustration, stating, “Trust between fishermen and offshore wind developers is at an absolute nadir.”

Read the full story at Shore News Network

Federal regulators issue revised suspension order for Vineyard Wind as more debris falls from damaged turbine

August 1, 2024 — Federal regulators have issued a revised suspension order for Vineyard Wind as an investigation continues into a damaged turbine blade at the offshore wind farm that has continued to cast debris into the ocean in recent days.

The revised order by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, part of the US Department of the Interior, clarifies the requirements for Vineyard Wind before workers can board any wind turbines.

After the July 13 blade failure, the bureau ordered Vineyard Wind to halt power production and the installation of new turbines. The revised suspension order also requires Vineyard Wind to submit a risk analysis and mitigation measures to regulators.

The damaged wind turbine was manufactured by Cambridge-based GE Vernova. The company has said the damage was caused by a manufacturing issue and was not related to the turbine’s design or engineering.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

Vineyard Wind Resumes Some Construction During Investigation

August 1, 2024 — Though pieces of the broken Vineyard Wind turbine continued to fall into the ocean south of the Island this week, federal regulators have approved the wind farm to restart some construction work.

On Monday, several sections of the malfunctioning turbine blade that were still attached to the turbine split off and sunk to the ocean floor. Boats were dispatched to the area and both GE Vernova, the turbine manufacturer, and Vineyard Wind were working to clean up the blade pieces and popcorn-sized chunks of styrofoam that had spread into the water.

While Vineyard Wind cannot generate any power from the turbines, the company has turned to other work around the rest of the planned 62-turbine wind farm with the blessing of the federal government.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which oversees offshore wind projects in the U.S., had previously said operations at the wind farm 14 miles south of the Vineyard had shut down until further notice after the 107-meter turbine blade broke. On Saturday, the federal agency clarified that Vineyard Wind could do some work not directly connected to the turbines, such as installing cables in the sea floor.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

 

MASSACHUSETTS: A Five-Year Feud Over Oyster Farms Divides Two New England Towns

July 31, 2024 — Cohasset and Scituate were friendly for more than 250 years. Now, the Massachusetts neighbors can’t find common ground. The reason: oysters.

Scituate, a seaside town of fewer than 20,000 people that shares a harbor with the smaller Cohasset, wants to allow oyster farms in its portion of the bay. Cohasset says the farms inhibit swimming and boating.

Political feuds in small-town New England are nothing new. But this one stands out for its stamina—five years and counting—and spite. Five lawsuits have been filed, including one against the Massachusetts attorney general. More than 30 boat moorings have been seized. And a proposed joint sewer system that advocates hoped would stimulate development and clean up waterways? Circling the drain.

Technically the fight is over 3 acres of oyster farms in a more than 250-acre harbor. But for those involved, much more is at stake.

“For Cohasset, it’s about shellfishing. For Scituate, it’s about sovereignty,” said Scituate Town Administrator Jim Boudreau.

“It’s a real failure of government,” Cohasset Select Board member Jack Creighton said of the oyster farms. “We have an opportunity to preserve and protect from privatization and industrialization.”

Read the full story at the Wall Street Journal