Saving Seafood

Interior Department to streamline offshore wind permitting, nix unsolicited leasing

July 7, 2020 — States along the East Coast have issued ambitious goals for offshore wind, and industry stakeholders, including prospective developers, have urged BOEM for more federal leasing opportunities.

BOEM identified “deregulatory opportunities” on offshore wind developments, that will add more flexibility to geophysical and geothechnical survey submission requirements, streamlining approval of meteorological buoys, revising project verification procedures, and providing “greater clarity regarding safety requirements.” The Trump administration is pushing deregulation and streamlined permitting as a general approach for energy and other projects.

“This latest process announcement from BOEM offers some long-term hope for improvement, but the time is now; the federal government can’t wait or delay using its existing tools to spur economic investment,” Noah Shaw, partner at Hodgson Russ and former general counsel at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), told Utility Dive.

Read the full story at Utility Dive

Trump move to delay Mass. wind farm concerns NY officials

September 19, 2019 — New York State is “watching closely” the federal government’s decision to stall a Massachusetts offshore wind project to review environmental and fishing impacts, a top state official said Wednesday, adding there’s no sign yet that the scrutiny will affect New York’s ambitious offshore wind plans.

“That concern does exist,” Alicia Barton, president and chief executive of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, told business leaders at a Long Island Association meeting in Melville Wednesday. She called the federal review a “significant setback” in the permitting schedule for that project, called Vineyard Wind.

Vineyard Wind in August said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the federal Bureau of Energy Management’s decision to scrutinize the “cumulative impacts [of offshore wind] driven by rapid growth of the industry beyond our project.”

For now, Barton said she had “no reason to believe” New York projects, which are slated to be in service in 2024, would be affected by the federal review. Nor does it appear to delay her expectation that additional leasing areas off New York will be offered by the federal government soon.

Read the full story at Newsday

New York set to work with fishermen on offshore wind research

August 9th, 2019 — New York state energy officials announced Thursday more than $2 million has been allocated for new studies on how offshore wind energy development will affect fisheries and wildlife.

The projects include joint efforts with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of East Coast fishing and seafood industry groups that have been advocating for the state and federal governments to move more cautiously on proposals for massive turbine arrays in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic waters.

The next studies continue offshore environmental surveys begun in 2017 by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, including digital aerial surveys of birds, marine mammals, sharks and fish shoals that concluded in spring 2019 after collecting more than 3.5 million images across the New York Bight.

NYSERDA originally set out with 20 studies of environmental, social, economic and regulatory issues with building offshore wind power in one of the nation’s busiest seaways. The new studies will build on that with more environmental, maritime and social issues to analyze.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New York Selects Five Offshore Wind Research Projects

August 8, 2019 — The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has selected five multiyear projects that will further study environmental and commercial fishing topics in support of responsibly developing offshore wind.

The projects, totaling more than $2 million, are as follows:

  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) and others – Collaborative Development of Strategies and Tools to Address Commercial Fishing:A two-year, $500,000 project to address the need to understand and develop solutions for safe and efficient access to fishing grounds, while also ensuring that offshore energy projects meet their operational goals.

Read the full story at North American Wind Power

New York funds $2m for offshore environmental R&D

August 8, 2019 — New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has chosen projects totalling more than $2m to study environmental and commercial fishing topics to support responsible offshore wind development.

The five projects advance Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Green New Deal goal of 9GW of offshore wind by 2035 as codified under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

The selected projects include National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) and others, for the initiative, ‘Collaborative Development of Strategies and Tools to Address Commercial Fishing.’

The project, which has received $500,000, will address the need to understand and develop solutions for safe and efficient access to fishing grounds, while also ensuring that offshore energy projects meet their operational goals.

Read the full story at ReNews

Wind power in the forecast for New York

June 12, 2019 — The weathervane is pointing to Thursday for the big announcement from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on the state’s first round of major offshore wind farm awards — assuming the off-and-on event doesn’t get canceled again.

And figure on it taking place in Manhattan, to lure the national media the governor seeks for the occasion.

At stake: At least 800 megawatts (or more) of wind energy awarded to two (or more) of the four proposals before the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Meanwhile, a smaller project further along in the pipeline — a 130-megawatt farm off Montauk from Danish giant Orsted, which has a power-supply contract from LIPA — is facing opposition in East Hampton Town and especially in Wainscott, where the cable would come ashore. Permits still are needed.

Read the full story at Newsday

NEW YORK: RODA, NYSERDA, and NYSDEC are seeking information on commercial fishing transit routes in the New York Bight

February 15, 2019 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance:

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) are gathering feedback related to fishing transit throughout the NY Bight. This information gathering, which includes a review of existing data and a fishermen survey, will culminate in a transit workshop scheduled for March 27, 2018 at Danfords Hotel, Marina, and Spa in Port Jefferson, New York.

The goal of the workshop is to present information collected on New York Bight transit routes to participants, to gather feedback, and ultimately develop a Workshop Report that provides a clearer understanding of where transit lanes would provide the greatest value for the fishing industry prior to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s delineation of new offshore wind lease areas in the New York Bight.

RODA urges all commercial fishermen who transit through the New York Bight to complete the survey here prior to March 1st so that your input will be fully considered. Please return completed surveys to lane@rodafisheries.org or by mail to RODA, P.O. Box 66704, Washington D.C. 20035.

RODA will ensure that any replies will be anonymized before submission to the state and federal government at the request of any respondent.

Please register here if you would like to attend the March 27th workshop.

Only one wind project proposed in waters off LI, filings show

January 14, 2019 — Only one of five developers who intend to vie for a New York State contract for off-shore wind energy is proposing its project off Long Island waters. The rest would be off Massachusetts/Rhode Island or the New Jersey coast, according to recent state filings.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, which is overseeing the bids and will award contracts for upward of 800 megawatts of offshore wind energy this year, said the five notices of intent to participate in the state bid represented the strongest response to any state solicitation to date. One megawatt of offshore wind powers around 360 homes. Formal bids are due Feb. 14.

The project located in the New York wind-energy area is off Long Island’s South Shore in waters previously identified by the federal agency responsible for leasing water rights. Another possible developer has offered a project off the New Jersey coast. A state official said all projects would get careful review, and downplayed the notion of their distance from New York.

Read the full story at Newsday

Governor Cuomo Issues New York’s Large-Scale Offshore Wind Solicitation

November 12, 2018 — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today issued a comprehensive solicitation seeking 800 megawatts or more of new offshore wind projects for New York. This highly anticipated first offering, issued by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority kicks-off competition for New York State’s first large-scale offshore wind development contracts, an initial step toward its goal of 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030 to combat climate change. The solicitation accelerates New York’s progress towards Governor Cuomo’s mandate for 50 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 and significantly jump starts the emerging offshore wind industry in New York.

“This action is a watershed moment in New York’s renewable energy development efforts as we work to establish a secure, reliable and cost-effective clean energy future,” Governor Cuomo said. “New York will continue to combat climate change, investing in robust offshore wind development and clean energy that provides a path toward a greener and more sustainable future in our state and around the world.”

“This solicitation for offshore wind projects advances our commitment to reach our aggressive clean energy goals,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “We are continuing to advance renewable energy developments across the state to ensure a cleaner and greener environment for future generations. New York is leading the way in our efforts to grow the industry and combat climate change.”

This historic offering marks an important new chapter in New York’s nation-leading offshore wind planning efforts, which have been conducted over three years and have included extensive stakeholder, agency, and public consultation along with detailed technical and financial analysis. These planning efforts provided the basis for New York’s Offshore Wind Master Plan, released in January of 2018, and the Public Service Commission’s July 2018 Order Establishing the State’s Offshore Wind Standard, which established the foundation for this important step forward.

Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance, said, “With this solicitation, New York takes a momentous step toward a clean, renewable energy future. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York is creating a nation-leading offshore wind industry, bringing high quality jobs and greater economic opportunities for New Yorker’s with a lower costing, cleaner, and a more efficient energy system. New York is ideally positioned to capture this growing technology and demonstrates that investments in clean energy can benefit New Yorkers both economically and environmentally.”

Read the full story at LongIsland.com

New York State officials: East End shouldn’t be considered for wind farms

May 9, 2018 — New York State will urge the federal government to exclude coastal areas off the Hamptons shore line from consideration for offshore wind farms, officials said.

At a public meeting in Southampton on Monday to discuss the state’s blueprint for offshore wind development and proposed offshore area maps, state officials discussed reasons for removing a large proposed East End wind-farm area from federal consideration, including visual and fishing impacts.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released the maps for proposed New York areas last month, seeking comments and proposals. The agency will accept comments through May 29.

New York State specifically removed the East End areas from its proposed wind-farm maps in a blueprint released earlier this year. New York prefers wind farms to be at least 21 miles from shore. The Block Island wind farm, at 15 miles from Montauk Point, can be clearly seen from Montauk.

The state also cited concerns about extensive cable crossings and navigational risks, said Doreen Harris, director of large-scale renewables for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which is leading the state’s offshore wind planning efforts. The areas also are used heavily for commercial fishing.

Read the full story at Newsday