Saving Seafood

NCFC Members Urge BOEM to Include Commercial Fishermen in Windmill Siting Decisions in the New York Bight

August 17, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

Late last month, members of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC) submitted two letters asking Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to consider the economic importance of the commercial fishing industry before deciding where to site windmills in the New York Bight.

367 individuals signed a national letter calling on Secretary Zinke not to rush offshore energy development and to ensure projects are “sited, constructed, and operated using the best scientific information available.”

“The Interior Department should provide for intelligent and deliberate offshore renewable energy development, rather than fall prey to the gold rush mentality promoted by BOEM and financially-interested wind developers, most of which are foreign-owned,” the NCFC members wrote.

The signers also invoked President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to support working class Americans.

“When President Trump campaigned and was elected, he promised to look after America’s working middle class, of which we are all a part,” the letter stated. “You will not be honoring the President’s commitment if you allow BOEM to lease ocean areas first, and ask and answer the necessary questions later.”

Another 103 individuals and 32 vessels and businesses from Massachusetts signed a separate letter asking BOEM to reconsider its plan to develop four offshore wind farms in the New York Bight. They specifically cited the damage such development would cause to important Northeast fisheries such as the scallop fishery.

“This is an ill-conceived idea that will cause irreparable economic harm within the fishing communities along the entire East Coast,” the signers wrote. “The harm to Massachusetts will be especially significant, given that it is the center of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery and contains major surf clam and ocean quahog operations.”

The letter pointed out that, on average, nearly $54 million is generated by scallop landings annually from the areas under consideration in the New York Bight, according to data from the National Marine Fisheries Service. An additional $8 million is generated by surf clam and ocean quahog.

 

Fishermen up in arms over plan to build windmills off Long Island coast

August 1, 2018 — It’s before dawn on a recent July morning at Lazy Point in Napeague Bay, LI, and there is a slight chill in the air as the fishermen unload their boats into the water.

Dan Lester, a 12th-generation bayman, and his son Daniel, 14, are among those heading to sea to check their traps.

“This is the most sustainable fishing you’ll ever see,” Dan says as they begin hand-sorting the fish trapped in their nets, tossing whatever they can’t sell, including small spider crabs and stingrays, back into the ocean.

On a certain level, not much has changed for these New York baymen since the 1600s, when their ancestors came from places such as Kent, England, and were taught to fish by native Algonquin tribe members. But these East End fishermen fear it soon will.

They are up in arms over an agreement to build 15 massive windmills — each more than 650 feet tall, the height of Manhattan skyscrapers — off the coast of Montauk.

Read the full story at the New York Post

 

Company to explore ocean floor off Maryland’s coast to prepare for offshore wind plans

August 1, 2018 — Deepwater Wind, which operates a wind farm in waters off Rhode Island, wants to build another one off the Maryland coast. But before its proposal can go forward, the company needs to know what lies on the sea floor here — and within the ancient layers of sediment beneath it.

So geologists, marine biologists and archaeologists will spend the next couple of months seeking answers, scouting the potential footprint of a wind energy project planned near the mouth of the Delaware Bay.

The survey, being launched this week, is a key step in advancing a proposal vying to be the nation’s second offshore wind farm.

“You can imagine, if you’re going to build a house, you want to know more than just what’s the geology in your town,” said Jeffrey Grybowski, the company’s CEO. “We need to have a very detailed picture of the ocean floor.”

That includes any hills or valleys, boulders or sand dunes, thriving habitats for aquatic life, and even any shipwrecks.

Read the full story at the Capital Gazette

 

Vineyard Wind Appoints Crista Bank as Fisheries Liaison

July 30, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by Vineyard Wind:

Vineyard Wind today announced the appointment of Crista Bank as Fisheries Liaison. In this role, Bank will lead the project’s regional engagement with fishing industry representatives on Cape and Islands, the South Coast, Rhode Island, and along the East Coast.

A fisheries scientist, Bank brings extensive local, regional, national and international experience and deep knowledge of marine science and fisheries issues to her role at Vineyard Wind.

“We’re pleased to have Crista lead our efforts to address the important questions the fishing industry have raised about the impacts of offshore wind development on the marine environment and on sea life,” said Erich Stephens, Chief Development Officer with Vineyard Wind. “Crista will play a key role in ensuring that the first large-scale offshore wind project in the US helps establish a robust body of knowledge that will benefit the American offshore wind industry and the fishing community for decades to come.”

Most recently, Crista served as a fisheries biologist at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass Dartmouth, working on collaborative research projects with commercial fishermen studying cod, monkfish, and halibut. Previously, she served on the Schooner Ernestina, the only surviving 19th century Gloucester-built fishing schooner and one of two remaining examples of the Fredonia-style schooners, where she earned her 100-ton United States Coast Guard Captain’s license. Bank also worked on board traditional sailing vessels across the world, including journeys to the Indian and Atlantic oceans. She started her career teaching marine science at outdoor experiential education programs in New England, Southern California, and the Florida Keys. Crista earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from UMass Dartmouth and a Master’s degree in Fisheries Oceanography from SMAST.

In May, Vineyard Wind was selected to negotiate long-term contracts with Massachusetts’ electric distribution companies (EDCs) for construction of an 800-megawatt (MW) wind farm 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard; the project will provide the amount of clean energy used by over 400,000 homes across Massachusetts Vineyard Wind remains on schedule to begin site construction in 2019 and become operational by 2021.

About Vineyard Wind

Vineyard Wind LLC is an offshore wind development company seeking to build the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the US, to be located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind, based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables. For more information, visit www.vineyardwind.com.

 

Vineyard Wind, R.I. fishermen still at odds over turbines

July 30, 2018 — NARRAGANSETT, R.I. — Nearly four months into a review of its proposal by Rhode Island coastal regulators, Vineyard Wind has been unable to allay fears that its proposed offshore wind farm of up to 100 turbines would harm the state’s fishing industry.

With a key approval from the Coastal Resources Management Council at stake, the New Bedford-based company has agreed to a two-month extension in an attempt to bridge the divide with agency staff and Rhode Island fishermen over the $2-billion project that would be built in 250 square miles of ocean south of Martha’s Vineyard.

At a recent meeting with the company and fishermen, Coastal Resources Management Council executive director Grover Fugate announced the stay, which pushes back a decision by the agency until Dec. 6.

The delay comes after Fugate sent a letter to Vineyard Wind signaling that the agency is unlikely to award a “consistency certification” to the 800-megawatt wind farm as it’s currently configured. Fugate recommended an alternate layout of the turbines to minimize impacts to fishing grounds for squid, lobster and other species that are critical to Rhode Island fishermen.

During the meeting last Thursday of the Fishermen’s Advisory Board, which advises the council on fishing issues related to offshore wind, Rhode Island fishermen complained that Vineyard Wind never took their needs into account when designing the wind farm. Over three hours of back and forth that at points grew heated, they repeatedly said that the orientation of the wind farm and the spacing of the turbines would make it nearly impossible for them to fish within its boundaries.

“You’re talking about gutting an entire industry, the Rhode Island industry,” said Lanny Dellinger, a lobsterman who heads the board. “If you do this, we’re all out of business.”

After the meeting, Fugate was asked if the council could approve the current design of the project.

Read the full story at the Providence Journal

 

Bladeless Wind Turbines Could Be the Future of Wind Energy

July 26, 2018 — A new kind of wind turbine captures energy without any blades. It’s half the price, more efficient, silent and doesn’t kill birds.

A Spanish company just took wind turbines to the next level by removing their hallmark feature – the blades.

Vortex claims their bladeless wind turbines significantly reduce the carbon footprint of wind energy as they require fewer raw materials, no oiling and far less land as they can be placed closer together.

Individually they produce about 3o percent less electricity than a traditional wind turbine, but that is more than compensated for by the fact you can safely fit twice as many turbines into the same space.

They also cost around half of what conventional turbines cost to produce.

Read the full story at Return to Now

 

MARYLAND: Why the fishing industry is against offshore wind farms near Ocean City

July 23, 2018 — Concern from the fishing industry is the latest development in the escalating debate over offshore wind farms near Ocean City.

Representatives say wind farms could cause harm by driving marine wildlife away, disturbing the ocean environment and making navigation more difficult for fishers and mariners.

“Now with the current offshore wind leasing process, we have these fishing grounds being sold right out from under us,” said Meghan Lapp during a recent presentation to the Ocean City Town Council. Lapp is a fishing liaison for Seafreeze Ltd., a Rhode Island commercial fishing company.

But marine biologists and wind farm officials say the impact won’t be that severe.

“I think they took an emotional approach to the problem. … So there was some degree of misinformation,” said Salvo Vitale, general counsel for U.S. Wind, one of the offshore wind energy companies involved in the Maryland project.

Conflicting information has muddied many discussions surrounding offshore wind energy. This back and forth pattern of counter arguments has persisted throughout the history of the project.

Read the full story at the Salisbury Daily Times

Deepwater Wind says it can coexist with commercial fishermen

July 13, 2018 — Saying it wants to be “a good neighbor” to commercial fishermen, Deepwater Wind – the company with wind energy turbines off Rhode Island’s coast – announced Thursday it has adopted what it calls “first-of-its-kind” procedures to avoid damaging fishing gear.

Beginning this month, Deepwater said it will provide fishermen with frequent updates on its offshore activities, and the company is requiring all its vessels and personnel to comply with the initiative.

The procedures involve Deepwater’s fisheries liaisons and a team of fisheries representatives in regional ports, as well as online updates for mariners and twice-daily updates on VHF channels.

While Deepwater expects there will be only “limited impact” on fishing gear, the company said it also has adopted a process for handling claims of loss and damage of fishing gear.

Read the full at Providence Business News

House set to debate offshore wind energy bills in U.S. waters

June 25, 2018 — A U.S. House committee will kick off debate next week on three new bills aimed at boosting offshore wind energy leases in federal waters.

The House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a hearing on Tuesday on three bipartisan offshore wind proposals.

One proposal would require the Interior Department to develop a leasing plan or schedule for federal offshore leases, a second would create a federal grant for educational or career programs for the offshore industry, and a third would give Interior the authority to manage the federal submerged lands off of territories such as Guam for offshore energy. Turbines can be built on land beneath navigable waters.

The Trump administration has thrown its weight behind the nascent offshore wind industry by streamlining permitting processes and working to open up more areas for lease. The administration views offshore wind as an element in its goal for U.S. energy dominance.

“We are committed to working with the Trump administration in pursuing an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy, which includes a robust offshore renewable component,” according to a committee statement.

Read the full story at Reuters

Massachusetts wants added review for Vineyard Wind project

June 22, 2018 — With the largest purchase of offshore wind resources in the country on their doorstep, state officials say they want more information to provide proper environmental oversight.

Last Friday a certificate was issued for Vineyard Wind’s April 30 draft environmental impact report, but because the company has now moved ahead to negotiate an 800-megawatt contract with three electric utilities companies, a more comprehensive report is needed, according to Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton.

Massachusetts has an “interest in and obligation to provide a rigorous, robust and transparent environmental review process for the largest single procurement of offshore wind by any state in the nation,” Beaton wrote in the certificate.

The company, an equal partnership of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables, plans what is expected to be a $2 billion construction project to install 50 to 100 wind turbines in federal leased waters 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, with three energy export cables to make landfall on Cape Cod.

The sale of offshore wind power from the wind farm to the electric utilities on the mainland is part of a larger initiative by state leaders to reach a capacity of 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2027.

As part of the typical review under the state’s environmental policy act, a draft and then a final environmental impact report are explanations by an owner of its project and alternatives to fully adhere to state and local environmental regulations. The state certificates issued on the reports, in turn, are guidance, describing what the company intends and what still needs to be addressed, strengthened or emphasized to ultimately avoid, minimize or mitigate damage to the environment.

In declaring the Vineyard Wind’s 1,380-page draft environmental impact report “inadequate,” Beaton said in Friday’s certificate that he is taking into account the company’s May 23 selection as the offshore wind competitor to move forward with contract negotiations with the utilities. Given the evolving circumstances, Beaton said he is asking for a supplemental draft environmental impact report from Vineyard Wind.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times