Saving Seafood

NEW YORK: D.E.C. Asks Orsted for More Fish Info

July 18, 2019 — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has identified several of what it calls deficiencies — primarily regarding the effect on a variety of fish species — in Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind’s application to construct and operate a transmission cable connecting its proposed South Fork Wind Farm to the Long Island Power Authority substation in East Hampton, according to a letter sent to the State Public Service Commission on Friday.

A spokeswoman for the developer, however, said that requests from state agencies for additional information are to be expected in a review of multifaceted projects such as an offshore wind farm, and that the permitting process for the South Fork Wind Farm remains on schedule.

The D.E.C. letter summarizes its preliminary review of Orsted’s September 2018 application to the Public Service Commission requesting a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need under Article VII of the Public Service Law authorizing construction and operation of the transmission cable. The D.E.C. examined both Orsted’s preferred landing site, the ocean beach at the end of Beach Lane in Wainscott, and an alternative site, state-owned land at Hither Hills in Montauk. Both sites have sparked opposition from their respective communities.

The D.E.C.’s review is specific to the approximately 3.5 miles of export cable that would be buried under state waters and the portion that would be buried underground from the landing site to the substation. The agency examined threatened and endangered species of fish and wildlife, invasive species, freshwater and tidal wetlands, protection of waters and pollution control, and coastal erosion management in its review.

Read the full story at The East Hampton Star

Baker, Vineyard Wind mum on Feds’ project guidance

July 18, 2019 — The federal government has offered new “guidance” on the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, Gov. Charlie Baker said, but neither the governor’s team nor project officials will talk about it.

The Baker administration chose Vineyard Wind in May 2018 for the state’s first commercial-scale offshore wind effort under a 2016 clean energy law and state officials are counting on the project to produce 800 megawatts of power and touting its importance to the state’s renewable energy portfolio. In April, state regulators approved long-term contracts between Vineyard Wind and the state’s electricity distribution companies.

But project officials announced last week that the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was not ready, as Vineyard Wind expected it to be, to complete a critical final environmental impact statement.

A long delay could affect project financing, as well as plans to start construction later this year and become operational in 2021, but questions remain about the federal government’s stance on the project.

In Connecticut on Tuesday, Baker said that his team and project officials have been given a clearer understanding of the issues in play, and are working this month to address them.

“We’ve talked to the federal agencies about this,” Baker said. “They’ve made pretty clear to us that the reason they didn’t render a decision and the reason why they didn’t put a date on rendering a decision was because they wanted to continue the dialogue and the discussion with Vineyard Wind around some of the outstanding issues and they gave Vineyard Wind and us a fair amount of guidance with respect to the things we should focus on and people are going to be focusing on those between now and the end of the month.”

On Wednesday, a Baker spokesman declined to comment when asked about the nature of the project guidance.

A Vineyard Wind spokesman also declined to comment when asked what the feds have told project officials.

Baker, who says Vineyard Wind will be the largest offshore wind project in the country and will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, on Wednesday said he thought the federal government treated offshore wind projects as “standalone, fact specific issues.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NEW YORK: Governor Cuomo Executes the Nation’s Largest Offshore Wind Agreement and Signs Historic Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

July 18, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY):

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by former Vice President Al Gore, today executed the nation’s largest offshore wind agreement and the single largest renewable energy procurement by any state in U.S. history – nearly 1,700 megawatts -with the selection of two offshore wind projects, that will create enough energy to power over 1 million homes, create more than 1,600 jobs, and result in $3.2 billion in economic activity.  Governor Cuomo also signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, or CLCPA, which adopts the most ambitious and comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation in the country. Today’s announcement underscores New York’s undisputed position as a global leader in climate and clean energy, and advances Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading mandate of 9,000 megawatts by 2035.  Additionally, today’s offshore wind announcement is expected to catalyze the first generation of major United States supply chain investments by the fast-growing offshore wind sector, positioning New York to be the hub of the nation’s burgeoning offshore wind industry.

“The environment and climate change are the most critically important policy priorities we face,” Governor Cuomo said. “They literally will determine the future – or the lack thereof. Even in today’s chaos of political pandering and hyperbole there are still facts, data and evidence – and climate change is an undeniable scientific fact. But cries for a new green movement are hollow political rhetoric if not combined with aggressive goals and a realistic plan on how to achieve them. With this agreement, New York will lead the way in developing the largest source of offshore wind power in the nation, and today I will sign the most aggressive climate law in the United States of America. Today we are true to the New York legacy – to lead the way forward, to govern with vision and intelligence, to set a new standard, and to match our words with action.”

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Climate change is real and must be addressed to better protect future generations. As Washington fails to act, New York State must step up to lead on this critical issue. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act will help combat the damages caused by climate change, reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions, focus investments on green technology, protect disadvantaged communities, and ensure that workers are protected and good jobs are created as we transition to greener energy sources. I commend Senator Todd Kaminsky for sponsoring this bill, holding hearings throughout the state, and for his leadership in the fight against climate change.”

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “For years the Assembly Majority has fought for comprehensive legislation to address and mitigate climate change. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright and our Assembly Majority colleagues, New York State is leading the way in developing green energy alternatives and sustainable policies. While the administration in Washington rolls back environmental protections, we will continue fighting to protect our environment, economy and the well-being of New Yorkers from the damaging effects of climate change.”

Read the full release here

AWEA names new lead on offshore wind sector

July 17, 2019 — With momentum building for East Coast wind power, the American Wind Energy Association announced that Laura Smith Morton will lead policy and regulatory efforts on behalf of the U.S. industry’s offshore wind sector.

Morton assumed her new role on July 8 as AWEA’s senior director for policy and regulatory affairs for offshore wind, as Vineyard Wind, Ørsted and other developers push to obtain permits and begin developing their federal leases off New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

In a statement from AWEA, Morton said she is happy to be working again on offshore wind, after more than 10 years of experience in the field as a lawyer and in senior roles at the federal Department of Energy, Council on Environmental Quality and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“It’s immensely gratifying to be back working on offshore wind issues. As this new American energy industry scales up, we must strike the right balance with policies that encourage development, job creation, and the revitalization of coastal infrastructure while also engaging with other ocean users to ensure all can prosper,” said Morton.  “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work so this industry can put more steel in the water.”

Morton contributed to the original National Offshore Wind Strategy published by the DOE and Department of the Interior, which charted a course to build the U.S. offshore wind industry, and led multiple interagency teams charged with creating efficiencies in the permitting process for clean energy projects.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Capacity issues loom for East Coast wind developers

July 17, 2019 — Off the New Jersey coast, the bright red hull of the Fugro Enterprise has become a familiar sight to commercial fishermen who pull shellfish dredges and tend gillnets.

Plodding along at around 4 knots, the 170’x40’x11′ survey vessel is making detailed geotechnical surveys for the Ocean Wind energy project, planned by Ørsted to accommodate towering wind turbines that would supply New Jersey with its first 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy generated by offshore wind.

To New Jersey’s renewable power advocates and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, the work is a welcome sight. It’s the first step toward building what they hope will be 3,500 MW of offshore power by 2030.

For people in the state’s seafood industry — including the long-established and profitable scallop and surf clam fleets — the big red boat portends a new struggle to stay in business.

“The impact to New Jersey will be devastating if the commercial fishing industry is displaced at all,” warned Brick Wenzel, a captain who fishes out of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., as state utility regulators prepared measure so Ørsted and other companies could bid for power contracts.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Coast Guard have put wind developers on notice that they will need to plan for wide, safe vessel traffic lanes through future turbine arrays.

Read the full story at WorkBoat

Critics Say Wind Farm Rates Constitute Price Gouging

July 17, 2019 — There are a lot of ways to deflect the criticism, but really none to refute it: The South Fork Wind Farm will charge higher rates for the power it generates — three to five times more than its parent company, Ørsted/Deepwater, will charge in nearby markets.

Despite complaints from all sides, freedom of information requests, and now a lawsuit, neither the Long Island Power Authority nor Ørsted have shed any light on the matter. East Hampton Town doesn’t even know the cost per kilowatt-hour ratepayers will be charged. In fact, though, every ratepayer in the PSEG/LIPA system will pay for the wind power generated, and the power will not be earmarked for East Hampton, as many at first believed, but for the entire grid.

In January 2018 , the LIPA board, at the insistence of Governor Andrew Cuomo, entered into a 20-year agreement to purchase all the power generated by the South Fork Wind Farm. The price per KW hour was redacted.

The cat-and-mouse game to uncover the exact cost has been played ever since, though the 23¢/KwH has been bandied about and never refuted by either side.

When requests for disclosure first poured in officials of Deepwater Wind, which has since been bought by the Danish firm Ørsted, said LIPA requested the confidentiality agreement.

LIPA’s special counsel for ethics, risk, and compliance, James Miskiewicz, wrote on August 31, 2017 in response to a query from a citizens’ group that “Deepwater Wind explicitly asked that the redacted information be treated as confidential, as defined by New York’s FOIL law.”

Read the full story at The Independent

Ørsted/Deepwater: We’ll Be On Time

July 17, 2019 — Developers of the South Fork Wind Farm vowed this week they will deliver offshore wind power to East Hampton by 2022 as promised.

Despite the ever-present optimism, the wind farm has lagged behind its own timetable as it faces a concerted effort to deep-six the project from several
opposition groups.

First, a group of well-heeled Wainscott residents banded together and issued an explicit warning to Ørsted, the parent company that purchased Deepwater Wind: Find another landing spot for your offshore cable to land.

The opposition caught the attention of Thomas Borstrom, the CEO of Ørsted, who wrote a letter to the Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott.

“We have always said there are two viable cable landfall and onshore route options for our project,” he wrote. “In response to your requests, our team assessed the viability of a Hither Hills landing site . . . we believe Hither Hills is a technically viable alternative.”

The ink was barely dry on Borstrom’s May 31 letter when Montauk and Amagansett residents and business owners lambasted the idea of bringing the cable ashore in Montauk. “It’s a terrible, terrible idea. It’s going to be terrible not just for Montauk but for everyone who drives,’” said Kathy Weiss, who runs Wavecrest, a 75-unit resort complex, on Old Montauk Highway.

Read the full story at The Independent

MASSACHUSETTS: Feds share ‘fair amount of guidance’ with state, Vineyard Wind

July 17, 2019 — Days after the Trump administration injected a level of uncertainty into the Vineyard Wind project planned off of Martha’s Vineyard, Gov. Charlie Baker said the federal government has given his administration and the company a “fair amount of guidance” about the decision to delay a key permit.

Baker, who met Tuesday afternoon on the campus of Eastern Connecticut State University with Govs. Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, also said he did not think federal regulators were trying to send any broader message about their approach to offshore wind development.

The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management notified Vineyard Wind last week that the government was “not yet prepared” to issue a final environmental impact statement for the 800 megawatt wind power project, which the the state is trying to advance in connection with its 2016 clean energy law.

The indefinite delay in the decision, which was expected on July 12, threw a wrench in the project’s tight timeline, which has a construction start date this fall and is scheduled to be operational in 2021.

Baker said he thought the federal government treated offshore wind projects as “standalone, fact specific issues,” rather than trying to send a broader message to the industry by holding up the Vineyard Wind permit.

“There’s no question the fact that the Vineyard Wind one is the biggest project of its kind in U.S. history. It means it’s receiving what I would describe as a significant and probably more significant level of scrutiny, probably appropriately from the federal agencies,” Baker said.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Vineyard Wind Dealt Setbacks By Local, U.S. Regulators

July 15, 2019 — The company hoping to build a planned wind farm off Massachusetts is appealing to the state after the project hit snags with local and federal regulators.

The Edgartown Conservation Commission on Martha’s Vineyard voted this week to deny Vineyard Wind’s application to lay transmission cables that would pass about a mile east of Edgartown.

Separately, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has delayed issuing a final environmental impact statement that would help clear the way for construction of the 84-turbine, 800-megawatt wind farm.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WBUR

VINEYARD WIND: Notice to Mariners and Fishermen No. 15

July 15, 2019 — The following was released by Vineyard Wind:

This notice replaces Notice No. 14. We wanted to let you know that Vineyard Wind will begin geological surveys on July 9th. The estimated duration is approximately 10 days, ending on July 19th (weather dependent). Surveys will take place nearshore in Centerville Harbor. Please see the full notice to fishermen and mariners here.

We encourage fishermen who may be working in the survey area to contact the fishery liaison.

This survey will gather data on the subfloor conditions that will assist in characterizing the subsurface conditions along the proposed offshore horizontal directional drilling (HDD) route.

Vineyard Wind is committed to communicating and working with the local fishermen in the region during all stages of development of the proposed offshore wind farm.

If you have any questions, please contact Erik Peckar, Fishery Liaison via email at erik@vineyardpower.com or via cell phone at 703-244-9585.