Saving Seafood

US Congress to consider invasive carp, hatchery support, and other provisions in Department of Interior budget bill

July 29, 2025 — Lawmakers in U.S. Congress will consider several fisheries provisions in the U.S. Department of the Interior budget bill, with each legislative body proposing different levels of funding for the National Fish Hatchery System, fish conservation, and stopping the spread of invasive species.

Though currently on vacation, both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are in the midst of the fiscal year 2026 budget process, which involves passing several massive appropriations that offer varying levels of policy guidance to the federal government.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USGS faces big cuts, endangering Chesapeake science

June 26, 2025 — Vital research into threats to the Chesapeake Bay from invasive blue catfish, PFAS contamination, climate change and land use is on the chopping block as the Trump administration aims to decimate if not eliminate ecological studies done by the U.S. Geological Survey.

In its proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 released May 30, the White House has called for a 90% cut in funding for ecological research, laboratories and personnel at the USGS, which is the science arm of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“It’s the most important mission area in USGS that they’re cutting,” said Scott Phillips, who retired from the agency in 2023 after more than 25 years as its Chesapeake Bay science coordinator. Beyond water quality, he noted, fish and wildlife are “what people care about.”

Read the full article at the Bay Journal

Biden administration auctions off Gulf of Maine wind energy leases to New England fishers’ dismay

October 29, 2024 — The U.S. Department of the Interior auctioned off the first offshore wind energy leases in the Gulf of Maine on 29 October, despite continued opposition from New England commercial fishers.

The auction included eight areas on the Outer Continental Shelf off the New England coast that winning bidders could develop for wind energy operations. The government claimed that if the leases are developed to their full capacity, the sites could generate 13 gigawatts of energy – enough to power 4.5 million homes.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden-Harris Administration Holds First Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Gulf of Maine

October 29, 2024 — The following was released by the U.S. Department of the Interior:

Today, the Biden-Harris administration completed its sixth offshore wind lease sale by offering areas in the Gulf of Maine – the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast. The sale, conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), resulted in two provisional winners on four lease areas and over $21.9 million in winning bids.

Today’s lease sale is yet another significant milestone in the Biden-Harris administration’s work to meet the President’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy by 2035.

“Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, we’ve been committed to achieving our ambitious clean energy goals. With ten approved offshore wind projects capable of powering over 5 million homes, we are well on our way to a clean energy future,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Today’s successful auction marks yet another critical step in our fight against climate change. Together, we can create good paying jobs, build a domestic supply chain, and ensure that the momentum of this offshore industry continues for generations to come”

Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has:

  • Approved 10 commercial scale offshore wind energy projects – up from zero at the start of the Administration
  • Approved more than 15 gigawatts of clean energy from offshore wind projects — enough to power over 5 million homes.
  • Held six offshore wind lease auctions, including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf Coasts.
  • Announced a schedule of lease sales through 2028.
  • Taken steps to grow a sustainable offshore wind energy industry by encouraging the use of project labor agreements, strengthening workforce training, bolstering domestic supply chains, consulting with Tribes, and enhancing engagement with fisheries, communities and ocean users.

Through today’s sale, Avangrid Renewables, LLC won Lease OCS-564 at $4,928,250, which consists of 98,565 acres and Lease OCS-568 at $6,244,850, which consists of 124,897 acres. Both lease areas are approximately 29.5 nautical miles (nm) from Massachusetts.

Invenergy NE Offshore Wind, LLC won Lease OCS-562 at $4,892,700, which consists of 97,854 acres and is approximately 46.2 nm from Maine and Lease OCS-567 at $5,889,000 which consists of 117,780 acres is approximately 21.6 nautical miles (nm) from Massachusetts.

Together, the leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes with clean energy.

“To ensure we got the process of bringing offshore wind to the Gulf of Maine right, we’ve engaged in over a hundred outreach efforts with local communities and connected with thousands of partners and stakeholders,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “Collaboration with partners and stakeholders is key to making progress. By working closely with states, Tribes, ocean users, and industry leaders, we are building a sustainable new industry that will meet our nation’s current and future energy needs.”

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the middle out and bottom up – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving nearly a trillion dollars in new private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good-paying jobs and building a clean energy economy that will combat the climate crisis and make our communities more resilient. The Biden-Harris administration is harnessing these historic investments and using tools from across federal agencies to support the growing American offshore wind industry, leading to the approval and construction of the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind projects, which has created new jobs in factories and shipyards across the country. Today’s lease sale will support development of floating offshore wind in deep water sites, and the Administration is working through the interagency Floating Offshore Wind Shot to position the United States as a leader on these new technologies.

Today’s sale resulted in over $5.4 million total bidding credits. These bidding credits represent binding commitments by companies to invest over $2.7 million in workforce training and domestic supply chain development, and an additional $2.7 million for fisheries compensatory mitigation.

In addition, lease stipulations require that the lessees make every reasonable effort to enter into a project labor agreement covering the construction stage of any project for the lease areas; develop communication plans for engagement with Tribes, agencies, and fisheries; and provide semi-annual reports on engagement activities with Tribes and communities.

The leases awarded today do not authorize the construction or operation of any offshore wind facilities. Rather, they provide the right to submit a project plan for BOEM’s review. BOEM will develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the specific impacts of any project proposals before making decisions on whether to approve a proposed construction and operations plan. The EIS will be prepared in consultation with Tribes and appropriate government agencies, and informed by input from stakeholders, ocean users, and the public.

 

BOEM is committed to workforce development and to the establishment of a durable domestic supply chain that can sustain the U.S. offshore wind energy industry. More information about today’s sale, including a map of the lease areas, requirements regarding the bidding credits, and lease stipulations can be found on BOEM’s website.

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

CAPE WIND; Fishermen blast feds over turbines

July 29, 2024 — Fishermen are blasting the feds for suggesting they don ’t care about the ocean ecosystem and have no interest in the protection of the endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The claim came during a hearing yesterday in Boston federal appeals court as two fishing groups look to toss Vineyard Wind’s underlying permit, arguing regulators failed to analyze how the project would impact the environment and fishermen.

The alliance, as a trade association representing the fishing industry, does not have any interest in protecting right whales,” said attorney Thekla Hansen-Young, representing the Department of the Interior, the National Marine Fisheries Service, among other federal agencies, in the dispute.

Hansen-Young was referring to the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, one of the groups fighting the feds and Vineyard Wind. Seafreeze Shoreside Inc. is the other.

Annie Hawkins, the coalition’s executive director, shot back at Hansen-Young’s “repugnant” assertions after the hearing in which judges took no action.

“We take extreme offense to the government’s claim that our fishermen members have even less environmental interest in our oceans than recreational hobbyists because fishermen just want to ‘kill’ fish,” Hawkins said. “This statement erases generations of history, tradition, and knowledge.”

“Fishermen are faithful stewards of the ocean because their relationship with the sea forms the very fabric of coastal culture, supports their businesses, jobs, and communities,” she added. “The government’s repugnant position reveals a hostility to our iconic industry that is sadly common in its dealings with us.”

Hawkins’ alliance challenged the $4 billion Vineyard Wind project in January 2022 before the case waded through the courts, and U.S. District Judge Inditra Talwani dismissed the suit last October.

Responsible Offshore Development Alliance and Seafreeze Shoreside claimed the 62-turbine, 806-megawatt wind farm would harm fishermen and the North Atlantic right whale.

The National Marine Fisheries Service determined that Vineyard Wind was“not likely to jeopardize the continued existence” of right whales and other endangered species  an opinion they maintained in 2020 and 2021.

Read the full article at the Boston Herald

NEW JERSEY: New Jersey’s first offshore wind project approved by federal government

July 9, 2024 — The Biden administration has approved New Jersey’s first offshore wind project, but the plan faces pushback — and the likelihood of legal challenges — from critics who say it will ruin the state’s storied coastline.

The Atlantic Shores South project, given a green light by the U.S. Department of the Interior last week, calls for installing 200 towering wind turbines less than nine miles off the coast — providing enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes. It’s the ninth offshore wind project approved by President Joe Biden as part of his efforts to aggressively expand the green power industry.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and environmental groups praised the project’s approval, saying it will help reduce the state and nation’s reliance on fossil fuel energy sources.

Read the full article at The Center Square

NEW YORK: Fishing Industry Remains Concerned with Offshore Wind Power

July 9, 2024 — East End residents will soon be another step closer to wind power and away from fossil fuel; but local commercial fishermen are raising objections. And, East Enders are waiting to hear how much this wind power project will mean for new utility rates.

The federal government earlier this spring approved what it calls a “record of decision” for a Denmark-based company, Orsted, to build one of the largest offshore wind farms planned for Nassau and Suffolk counties. The decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior is among the last steps to build the windfarm, known as Sunrise Wind, an 84-turbine plant, before actual construction can begin.

Orsted said in a news release that the final permit, a construction and operating plan, is expected this summer from the federal government. Orsted recently completed a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork Wind. Orsted said Sunrise Wind is expected to be completed in 2026.

Both Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind are in the waters off Massachusetts and Rhode Island. South Fork Wind’s cable comes ashore in Wainscott. Sunrise Wind has a power cable running more than 100 miles to Smith Point County Park, before beginning a 17 mile trip through Brookhaven Town to a substation in Holtsville.

Read the full article at Dan’s Papers

 

NEW JERSEY: Department of Interior approves wind farm off New Jersey. Why some people oppose the project.

July 8, 2024 — The U.S. Department of the Interior has approved what would be New Jersey’s first off-shore wind farm project.

The proposed Atlantic Shores wind turbines would stand roughly nine miles off the shore of Long Beach Island, which many consider to be the jewel of the Jersey Shore.

The project has support, and opposition.

Supporters applaud the project

Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy applauded the plan on X, saying the Atlantic Shores project will “generate enough electricity to power nearly one million homes.”

Some environmental groups say it’s a win for the Garden State.

Read the full article at CBS News

Feds taking public input on environmental impacts of offshore wind proposed in Gulf of Maine

July 8, 2024 — The Block Island wind farm off of Rhode Island is one of only two offshore wind projects currently operating in the U.S., but the Biden administration has a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, and several states also have aggressive goals. Those targets, however, are threatened by surging costs and supply chain issues. (Scott Eisen | Getty Images)

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold public meetings and take comments this month on its draft environmental assessment for proposed offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine.

BOEM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced in April its proposal for an offshore wind energy auction. It would include eight leasing areas off the coasts of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, with the potential to generate up to 15 megawatts of energy to power up to 5 million homes, according to BOEM.

Read the full article at Yahoo News!