Saving Seafood

Conservative groups cleared to continue legal fight to protect whales from Biden-backed offshore wind farm

June 17, 2024 — A coalition of conservative organizations has standing to continue fighting a Biden administration wind project in Virginia, a federal judge determined.

However, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the District of Columbia, a Biden appointee, denied the plaintiff’s petition for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project from going forward.

On Thursday, the plaintiffs withdrew a petition for an expedited appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court for a narrow decision on the injunction but will continue the case to stop the construction, one attorney said.

The plaintiffs sued the Biden administration and Dominion Energy to protect the North Atlantic right whale under the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full article at Fox News

Launch of US wind installation vessel masks critical shortage

June 17, 2024 — The launch of the first U.S.-built wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) in April marked an important milestone for the offshore wind sector. Commissioned by U.S. utility Dominion Energy, the 472-foot ‘Charybdis’ will be fully operational by early 2025 and will first be used to install Dominion’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

The Charybdis is a positive step for the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind industry but several other vessels are needed to fill a widening supply gap that is holding back developers. Slow buildout of U.S. supply chain and port infrastructure and a lack of clarity over leasing and permitting schedules has hampered developers and deterred some investors.

The U.S. needs four-to-six turbine installation vessels to meet the 30 GW offshore wind target set by President Biden for 2030, according to the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Read the full article at Reuters

Offshore wind is providing little competition to oil and gas production so far

June 17, 2024 — President Joe Biden wants the U.S. offshore wind industry to be producing 30 gigawatts of electrical power by 2030 — enough, the administration says, to power 10 million homes. That would be the equivalent of about 16,920 bbls. of petroleum per hour or 384,000 bbls. of oil per day.

By comparison, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) says the U.S. consumes approximately 20 million bbls. of petroleum, including oil and natural gas, per day.

Read the full article at WorkBoat

OREGON: Oregon seafood groups urge Governor Kotek to prioritize state-led wind energy plans

June 14, 2024 — The state’s seafood commodity commissions have expressed concerns to Governor Kotek, urging them to prioritize that states own planning process and utilize it as a guide for responsible offshore wind energy development. According to Oregon Trawl, Oregon Dungeness Crab, Oregon Albacore and Oregon Salmon, the alternative would be following a rushed federal process; keeping impacted communities from having a voice.

According to the seafood commodity commissions should the state follow the federal process the viability of the state’s seafood industry and the health of the ocean would not be prioritized.

“Being situated in the middle of one of the world’s four most productive marine regions, Oregon is blessed with its healthy abundant fisheries, which are known to be among the top well-managed fisheries in existence today,” said Yelena Nowak, the executive director of the Oregon Trawl Commission. “It is critically important for Oregon to step up our efforts in ensuring Oregon’s impacted communities and the pristine natural environments are respected and protected in the pursuit of offshore wind energy development.”

Read the full article at KMTR

Vineyard Wind extends application time for fishermen compensation

June 14, 2024 — Northeast fishermen have until June 17 to apply for compensation from developers of the Vineyard Wind 1 project.

Originally opened March 4 to June 3, the compensation application process remains available

Online at: vw1fisheriescomp.com

Applications opened earlier this year with a series of open-house events outlining how fishermen may get some compensation for losses from development of the 804-megawatt offshore wind turbine array off southern New England.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

BOEM says ‘no significant impacts’ from Central Atlantic wind lease sale

June 11, 2024 — An environmental assessment of three planned offshore wind energy areas off Delaware, Maryland and Virginia predicts “no significant impacts” from future lease sales on 365,545 acres of seafloor, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy said this week.

Dubbed the Central Atlantic region by BOEM planners, lease sales are already tentatively scheduled for Aug. 14, and the environmental study summarizes “site assessment and site characterization activities such as geophysical, geological, and archaeological surveys,” according to an agency announcement. “The EA concluded that there would be no significant impacts from lease issuance.”

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said the agency will work with other government agencies, ocean users and the public “to ensure that any development in the region is done in a way that avoids, reduces, or mitigates potential impacts to ocean users and the marine environment.”

Supporting documents to the environmental assessment do note caveats. Potential conflicts with U.S. military uses and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia are continuing to be assessed for Wind Energy Area B-1 off Maryland and Virginia.

Read the full article at WorkBoat

DC Circuit to hear battle over Virginia offshore wind

June 8, 2024 — Critics of an offshore wind farm in Virginia are taking their fight against the project to a powerful federal appeals court.

In a Wednesday filing, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, Heartland Institute, and National Legal and Policy Center said they are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reverse a May ruling that denied their bid to block a 176-turbine Dominion Energy wind project off the coast of Virginia Beach.

A lower court found that the challengers had failed to show that they would face irreparable harm if the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind commercial project moved forward.

Read the full article at E&E News

Central Atlantic Environmental Assessment Released Preparing for Wind Sale

June 8, 2024 — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) continues to move at a fast pace to advance the U.S. offshore wind energy sector. Today it is announcing the availability of its final Environmental Assessment for potential offshore wind development off the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia coasts collectively known as the Central Atlantic region.

The proposal for the offshore wind lease sale for two areas along the Central Atlantic was announced in mid-December 2023. In January and February, BOEM first released its draft of the environmental impact and then ren the mandated public comment period. The review concluded that there would be no significant impacts from lease issuance after reviews including a site assessment and site characterization activities such as geophysical, geological, and archaeological surveys.

The next step in the process would be publishing a final sale notice at least 30 days prior to the proposed auction. BOEM reports that it plans to hold the sale for the Central Atlantic region later this year.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

DELEWARE: DNREC inches closer in deciding whether to lease land to US Wind

June 8, 2024 — Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources (DNREC) and Environmental Control hosts another public engagement event on the state’s involvement in a developing offshore wind project.

While offshore wind development company US Wind is working with Maryland to develop a physical offshore wind farm, Delaware’s 3 Rs Beach is the proposed access point to transmit the power into the Delmarva regional grid.

US Wind’s Senior Director of External Affairs Nancy Sopko says the project would decommission the coal-fired Indian River Power Plant and upgrade the transmission system to handle the wind-generated energy.

“To coincide with the decommissioning of that power plant to put massive amounts of clean energy on the grid at that point, we think is a really positive story for Delawareans and Marylanders,” Sopko said.

Read the full article at Delaware Public Media

NEW JERSEY: Offshore Wind Proponents, Opponents Disconnected on Plans

June 6, 2024 — State officials announced they are ramping up the fifth offshore wind solicitation schedule by 15 months, even as a local grassroots organization continues to battle the industrialization of the Atlantic Ocean off Long Beach Island.

Save LBI issued its latest call to action June 2, saying, “Our federal and state agencies are on the brink of approving the first phase of the Atlantic Shores project, the closest, most visible and intrusive offshore wind project in the world, and in the migration path of critically endangered whales.”

For its part, the group said it expects to file a petition to designate the project and adjacent area as a critical migration habit for whales; take on multiple litigation fronts to protect marine mammals, preserve the Jersey Shore experience, prevent electric bill increases and sidestep property value losses, which they estimate at a $1.3 billion loss; and build a coalition with other groups, including municipal officials, to block misrepresentation of the project’s benefits and costs.

“If those entities have their way, this will be your last chance to experience a magnificent pristine seashore, save your shore house and business, protect marine life and keep your electric bills from soaring,” the group said earlier this week. “Once these turbines are placed, they are not coming out. It is not feasible to do so. We will be leaving this blight for generations, a legacy we cannot accept.”

Read the full article at The Sand Paper