Saving Seafood

Mills files proposed moratorium on wind power in heavily fished waters off Maine’s coast

April 30, 2021 — Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is seeking a temporary ban on the development of offshore wind in waters managed by the state.

On Wednesday, Mills introduced legislation – sponsored by Sen. Mark Lawrence, D-York, chairman of the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee – that would impose a 10-year moratorium on new wind power projects in state waters.

In a statement, Mills said the state is “uniquely prepared to grow a strong offshore wind industry, create good-paying trades and technology jobs around the state, and reduce Maine’s crippling dependence on harmful fossil fuels” but not at the expense of the state’s storied fishing industry.

“We will focus these efforts in federal waters farther off our coast, as we responsibly pursue a small research array that can help us establish the best way for Maine to embrace the vast economic and environmental benefits of offshore wind,” she said.

Lawrence said the proposal “strikes the right balance to protect Maine’s fisheries and coastal waters, while continuing to advance the great energy and economic potential for offshore wind energy in federal waters of the Gulf of Maine.”

Read the full story at The Center Square

Mainers rally to oppose offshore wind development

April 30, 2021 — A gathering to oppose offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine brought nearly 500 Mainers to the state capital on Wednesday, April 28. The rally sought to centralize the concerns of Maine’s fishing communities and fishermen who believe they have been overlooked in the siting and development phases for offshore energy buildout on the Gulf of Maine.

At the gathering — organized by the Maine Lobstering Union (Local 207), with support from Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and in partnership with the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association and Maine Lobstermen’s Association — fishermen voiced concerns regarding the unknown impacts to ocean ecosystems, marine habitats, and the fisheries that have supported coastal communities for centuries.

“Maine lobstermen are stewards of the sea and partake in the most sustainable fishery in the world. Protecting it and its environment for centuries has been our goal,” said Matthew Gilley, a lobsterman from Harpswell, and one of the speakers at the event. “The state of Maine believes it’s a good idea to replace this way of life with unproven foreign-backed power plants in the Gulf of Maine, and we disagree.”

Before the rally, Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced her intention to submit a bill to prohibit the siting of offshore wind within three miles of Maine’s coast for the next 10 years. Maine family fishing businesses and fishing industry organizations have pledged to push the state to provide a clear plan for offshore wind development, as well as a detailed plan outlining the potential of alternate green energy investment opportunities that will protect the Gulf of Maine, our natural resources, and Maine’s working citizens.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

BOEM to start environmental review of proposed wind farm off Massachusetts, Rhode Island coast

April 30, 2021 — The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Thursday it is about to open a 30-day public comment period for an offshore wind farm, Revolution Wind, planned for waters south of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

This comment period kicks off the environmental review of the project. If BOEM approves it, Revolution Wind would be allowed to construct and operate an 880-megawatt (MW) wind energy facility. The Vineyard Wind project is slated to be 800 MW.

BOEM will hold three virtual public meetings and accept comments to inform the preparation of the environmental impact statement.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

NEW JERSEY: Ocean City Residents Protest Ørsted’s Offshore Wind Farm

April 29, 2021 — Ocean City residents concerned about the environmental impact of Ørsted’s proposed offshore wind farm held a peaceful protest Tuesday outside of the Cape May County Administration Building in Cape May Court House.

Ørsted plans to install up to 98 turbines offshore about 15 miles southeast of Atlantic City, but the wind farm continues to draw opposition from New Jersey’s southern coastal communities.

Several of the residents who attended the protest came out in support of Save Our Shoreline NJ, a Facebook group with nearly 4,000 members. The administrators of Save Our Shoreline NJ have launched a website and a petition against the proposed wind farm, citing environmental and financial concerns.

Read the full story at Patch.com

Maine lobstermen rally to stop offshore wind power

April 29, 2021 — The Maine Legislature is about to see a battle over offshore wind power in the Gulf of Maine, two high-profile combatants: Governor Janet Mills facing off against Maine’s lobster industry.

An estimated 400 lobstermen or more left the docks for a rally Wednesday outside the Augusta Civic Center, where the Legislature was meeting, to voice their anger about the proposed development of offshore wind power.

Like South Bristol fisherman Adam Gamage, they say that development is a threat.

“Here we are, we have a very sustainable fishery,” Gamage said, “It’s too bad it’s come to this where they are trying to put an industrialized piece of machinery out in the middle of the ocean (and) they don’t really know what is going to do.”

There is currently a plan by New England Aqua Ventus to build one very large, floating platform with a massive wind turbine mounted on top. It would be located a little more than two miles off Monhegan Island in a site approved by the Maine Legislature more than 10 years ago for that purpose.

The project is designed as a full-size test of a floating platform design from the University of Maine, but also to test how large wind turbines perform in the moving and often harsh environment of the open sea.

Read the full story at News Center Maine

MAINE: Fishermen Making A Stand At Augusta Civic Center

April 29, 2021 — If you notice more vehicles than usual making their way from the Midcoast to Augusta this morning complete with signs, there’s a reason for this rally. It started at 8:00 am at the Augusta civic center the Maine Midcoast Fisherman’s Association is requesting everyone’s support to stop the development of wind turbines off the coast of Maine.

Wind turbines are nothing new in Maine. In fact you can see several on Vinalhaven. They are visible from the mainland and while they are clean energy, do nothing for the view. Now, Governor Mills wants to place these turbines in the Gulf of Maine. The fishermen know this will be detrimental to the marine life and in turn be detrimental to their livelihood.

These turbines can be as tall as 400 feet. They are floating structures designed to harvest the winds well off the coast. Even though they will be several miles out to sea, fishermen believe it will affect the fishing grounds. The turbines need cables to deliver the electricity to the mainland and these cables will prevent ground fishing where they are placed.

Read the full story at B98.5

MAINE: Fishermen’s protest previews offshore wind as potent political issue for Janet Mills

April 29, 2021 — Ongoing friction between fishing interests and Gov. Janet Mills is shaping up to be a major battle in next year’s gubernatorial race as the incumbent’s opponents look to leverage frustration with her long-term offshore wind plan.

Lobstering supporters turned out in droves on Wednesday morning to protest the Mills administration, with people selling T-shirts and water bottles and carrying signs depicting a lobster claw crushing a windmill. A group of attendees laid ropes to illustrate how much space a turbine’s equipment would occupy.

Tensions between Mills and the industry have been steadily rising during her tenure on the issue. A survey boat for the New England Aqua Ventus wind project accused fishing boats of blocking its work this spring. Another 12-turbine research array is planned in the Gulf of Maine. Industry members seem frustrated by Mills’ stance on both projects. It could prove to be a challenge for Mills next year as former Gov. Paul LePage eyes a comeback campaign.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Maine homes in on offshore wind site, but fishermen’s protests continue

April 28, 2021 — Using fishery data and interviews with fishermen, state fishery regulators are working to identify areas in federal waters off Maine’s southern coast that will have least potential conflict between the fisheries and a proposed offshore windmill site.

Fishermen attending a virtual meeting hosted Tuesday night by the Department of Marine Resources condemned a plan by offshore wind developer New England Aqua Ventus to lease up to 16 square miles in the Gulf of Maine to install up to 12 wind turbines.

In addition, fishermen and their supporters gathered this morning at the Augusta Civic Center for a “Protect the Gulf of Maine” rally to protest the pace of wind development.

In a related development, Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday introduced legislation to establish a 10-year moratorium on new offshore wind projects in state waters, while reaffirming her administration’s priority of locating offshore wind projects in federal waters of the Gulf of Maine.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

MAINE: Gov. Mills seeks to broker peace between fishing, wind power

April 28, 2021 — Maine’s governor introduced a proposal on Wednesday that would establish a decade-long moratorium on new offshore wind projects in state waters.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, a proponent of wind power, made the proposal as members of the state’s fishing industry raised questions about locating wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine. The gulf is a critical fishing ground for lobster harvesters and other fishermen.

Mills said in a statement that her moratorium would “preserve state waters for valuable fishing and recreation, while reaffirming Maine’s priority of locating offshore wind projects in federal waters of the Gulf of Maine.” She cited the fact Maine has proposed the first research array for floating offshore wind technology in those waters.

Mills also said she crafted the proposal, which was submitted to the Maine Legislature, in response to concerns from the fishing industry. Most lobster fishing takes place in state waters, she said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Caledonian Record

The U.S. vs. Atlantic fisheries

April 28, 2021 — In its rush to burnish its green bona fides, the Biden administration is showering billions of dollars of subsidies onto European offshore wind developers, and in the process threatening both the environment and the livelihoods of Atlantic coast commercial fishermen.

The most recent example is the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) decision to fast-track offshore leases to wind energy companies in the New York Bight — a 16,000 square mile triangular area off the coast between Long Island and New Jersey, where Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Phil Murphy want to construct at least 18,000 MW of wind. All told, the Biden administration wants to construct 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which would require erecting one 850-foot-tall wind turbine virtually every single day for the next decade.

The Atlantic coast contains some of the most productive fisheries in the world. BOEM is supposed to work with fisheries interests to ensure offshore wind development does not adversely affect habitat and the livelihood of fishermen. In fact, in December of last year, the Department of the Interior issued a detailed memo stating that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act prohibits offshore wind approvals if a project would interfere with fishing. But just a few weeks ago, the administration reversed those findings.

Read the full story at The Daily News