Saving Seafood

Federal fisheries, energy agencies negotiate deadlock over Vineyard Wind

July 31, 2019 — Gov. Charlie Baker and other Massachusetts politicians pushed federal officials to break a deadlock over the environmental review of the Vineyard Wind offshore energy project, amid the developer’s warnings it needs an approval by the end of August.

But advocates for the commercial fishing industry say the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has failed to address issues raised by the NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in Gloucester, Mass.

Baker met Monday in Washington, D.C., with Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to urge progress on issuing a final environmental impact statement for the 84-turbine, 800-megawatt wind array planned on a federal lease about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

“I thought our meeting was a good one,” Baker told radio station WBUR Tuesday. “Our goal is to get as much clarity as possible and put together a plan because we really want this project to happen.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Gov. Charlie Baker is in Washington D. C. to push for the wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard

July 30, 2019 — Governor Charlie Baker is in Washington D. C. Monday for talks with key White House officials to discuss plans to install a long-anticipated wind farm proposed in Martha’s Vineyard.

“Our goal is going to be to get as much clarity as we can over the next several days and then work with Vineyard Wind to put together a cure plan because we really want this project to happen.”

His meeting will be with the Interior Secretary, David Bernhardt, who oversees the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Construction of the wind farm is scheduled to begin Dec. 19.

Read the full story at MassLive

MASSACHUSETTS: Baker eyeing ‘cure plan’ for Vineyard Wind

July 30, 2019 — After a “really productive and substantive” meeting with new U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker said his administration will be working with Vineyard Wind to address the federal government’s concerns with the project in line to be the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind development.

The federal government injected a level of uncertainty into Vineyard Wind, a $2.8 billion, 800-megawatt offshore wind project planned for the waters off Martha’s Vineyard, earlier this month when the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management notified project officials that the government was “not yet prepared” to issue a final environmental impact statement, which had been expected this month.

“What I was really seeking was some clarity so that we can work with Vineyard Wind and with our colleagues in the Congressional delegation and others to cure whatever the concerns are,” Baker said Monday afternoon after his meeting with Bernhardt and before returning to D.C. for more meetings. He added, “Our goal is going to be to get as much clarity as we can over the next several days and then work with Vineyard Wind to put together a cure plan, because we really want this project to happen.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

First big U.S. offshore wind project hits snag due to fishing-industry concerns

July 29, 2019 — Trump administration infighting is holding up approval of the first major U.S. offshore wind energy project, with agencies sparring over whether the proposal does enough to protect the fishing industry, according to interviews and agency documents.

The delays are a setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to fast-track big energy infrastructure projects and could threaten the administration’s plans to launch a promising new domestic industry.

How the problem is resolved will shape the regulatory blueprint for a growing list of offshore wind developers seeking to tap in to rising U.S. demand for renewable energy, but who face objections from fishermen worried the turbines will affect commercial species or make fishing more difficult.

The Trump administration has sought to fire up development of the nascent offshore wind industry by streamlining permitting and carving out areas off the coast for leasing – part of its policy to boost domestic energy production and jobs.

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Inc (AGR.N), was scheduled to begin construction this year 14 miles (23 km) off the coast of Massachusetts to power more than 400,000 homes by 2021 – making it the first large-scale offshore wind development in the United States.

Read the full story at Reuters

You Asked, We Answered: Are Offshore Wind Developers Responsible For Fishing Gear Damaged In A Wind Farm?

July 26, 2019 — Our first offshore wind question is from Samual Freeman: Why are offshore wind developers allowed to destroy commercial fishing gear and not be responsible for the cost to find and replace this? 

So, there’s a lot going on in this question. Fishermen are worried that wind farms are going to bull-doze their way into their territory and destroy their livelihoods. But here’s what we know: if a fisherman can prove that gear is damaged as the result of a wind farm, the wind developer will be responsible for compensating the fisherman for the cost of the gear and any potential lost income.

Every developer has a slightly different process in how they handle these claims. But in the end, if a fisherman’s claim is found to be valid, the developer must pay for the damage. It’s the law.

What else are wind developers doing to compensate fishermen for any potential lost or damaged gear?

So, Vineyard Wind — which is expected to build the country’s first large scale offshore wind farm — has setup a compensation plan for Rhode Island and Massachusetts fishermen which includes a trust fund to pay them for any unexpected expenses like damaged fishing gear.

Fishermen say the fund doesn’t have enough money in it to truly compensate fishermen in the event of an accident. But Vineyard Wind has told me there will be no financial limits on valid loss gear claims…even if it exceeds the trust fund amount.

Read the full story at The Public’s Radio

Official: Congress members involved in Vineyard Wind push

July 24, 2019 — Members of Congress have become involved in trying to move Vineyard Wind forward, a top Baker administration official said Tuesday as lobbying intensifies to advance what state officials hope will be the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project.

Energy and Environmental Affairs Undersecretary Patrick Woodcock told members of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Board Tuesday about the involvement of members of Congress since the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management indicated it would not decide on a key project approval this month, as anticipated.

The 800-megawatt project’s future is pertinent to the center because the project has a lease with the MCEC in New Bedford, Woodcock said.

Read the full story at the Worcester Business Journal

Vineyard Wind wants federal review within 6 weeks

July 19, 2019 — Vineyard Wind has given the federal agency in charge of permits for its offshore wind farm up to six weeks to issue a key environmental review document, after the agency announced last week it would not meet a summer deadline.

“Through all of our communications with government officials, it has been made clear to us that there was no intention to prevent the Vineyard Wind 1 project from moving forward,” the New Bedford-based company said in a statement Thursday.

The company has told the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, though, that for a variety of reasons “it would be very challenging” to move ahead with the 84-turbine project south of the Islands in its current configuration if the final environmental impact statement is not issued within approximately four to six weeks.

The final impact statement is a review of the $2 billion construction of the offshore wind farm and its operation. The statement is a key document but one of a half-dozen federal reviews underway for the project.

In its statement, Vineyard Wind said the federal agency indicated that it understood the reasons for the company’s constraints and that it intended to communicate that to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Vineyard Wind said it has communicated directly with Bernhardt as well about its concerns regarding the delay.

“Vineyard Wind notes that it is not unusual for there to be ongoing review of an environmental impact statement as it makes its way through the internal approval process, especially for a project of this significance,” the company said in the statement. “The National Environmental Policy Act requires an environmental impact statement to consider all best available information, which we believe BOEM has done. We are therefore confident that any remaining reviews can be concluded and an FEIS released soon after.”

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Vineyard Wind Officials Concerned with Environmental Review Delay

July 19, 2019 — Vineyard Wind officials are warning federal regulators that further delay without the release of an environmental review could jeopardize the project.

The company has informed the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that if an Environmental Impact Statement is not issued within the next four to six weeks “it would be very challenging to move forward the Vineyard Wind 1 project in its current configuration.”

In a statement, Vineyard Wind said BOEM has indicated they understand the reasons for this constraint and will communicate the companies concerns to the Secretary of the Interior, who is responsible for the final action on the project.

Vineyard Wind has also reached out directly to the Secretary about its concerns regarding the EIS delay.

The project, which would be located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, would be the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind facility.

The proposed 800-megawatt wind farm would include more than 80 turbines and generate enough energy to power 400,000 homes.

The EIS is part of the project’s comprehensive public and regulatory review process that involves an evaluation by more than 25 federal, state, and local regulatory bodies.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

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

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