The island community of Nantucket, Massachusetts is facing renewed controversy over offshore wind projects. This time, local opposition is mounting against SouthCoast Wind, a proposed development which will be installed in the waters surrounding the town, consisting of 149 turbines that are expected to power over one million homes.
The debate follows an earlier incident over the summer at another nearby offshore development, the Vineyard Wind farm, in which a turbine failure led to debris washing up on Nantucket’s shores for weeks. At the time, residents expressed their frustrations with offshore wind projects to town leaders, and are now doing so again, voicing their opposition to SouthCoast Wind during a recent public forum.
“These wind projects are a detriment to our island,” one resident said. “We bear the burden visually and environmentally, and we get none of the benefit of this energy except to pay higher energy rates.”
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Despite the local pushback, legal experts told the town that SouthCoast Wind is likely to move forward regardless of their position on the matter. The project falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), as attorneys for Nantucket told residents at the meeting that any appeals or litigation that the town engages in with this government agency will not change the timeline or the course of permitting for SouthCoast Wind.
The town’s lawyers recommended working with BOEM to negotiate better terms or compensation for the island, emphasizing that refusing to engage would limit their ability to appeal the agency’s permit approval of the project in the future. BOEM has offered Nantucket $150,000 to support mitigation efforts, but many residents see the sum as inadequate.
“Money is not enough. There isn’t enough money to make up for this,” one attendee at the town meeting said, while another labeled the offered sum as a “joke.”
Nantucket’s Select Board is expected to decide over the next few days whether to accept BOEM’s mitigation offer or seek alternative strategies to address residents’ concerns.
Tags: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Massachusetts, Nantucket, Offshore wind farms, Wind energy, Wind farms
OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THE ISLAND COMMUNITY OF NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS SINCE THIS SUMMER.
NOW LOCALS ARE OBJECTING TO ANOTHER WIND FARM SET TO BE BUILT NEARBY.
BUT LEGAL EXPERTS BELIEVE THE TOWN ULTIMATELY MAY NOT HAVE MUCH OF A SAY IN THE MATTER.
BACK IN JULY, A TURBINE FAILURE AT THE VINEYARD WIND FARM CAUSED DEBRIS TO WASH UP ON NANTUCKET BEACHES FOR WEEKS.
RESIDENTS VOICED THEIR DISPLEASURE OVER THE INCIDENT AT THE TIME-
AND WITH ANOTHER OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT READYING TO BE BUILT NEAR THEIR ISLAND-
LOCALS ARE AGAIN SHARING THEIR GRIEVANCES.
“These wind projects are a detriment to our island … We bear the burden visually and environmentally, and we get none of the benefit of this energy except to pay higher energy rates.”
THE INCOMING PROJECT, KNOWN AS SOUTH COAST WIND, WILL CONSIST OF 149 TURBINES, EACH STANDING OVER A THOUSAND FEET TALL.
DEVELOPERS SAY THAT ONCE COMPLETED, THIS OFFSHORE WIND FARM IS EXPECTED TO GENERATE ENOUGH ENERGY TO POWER MORE THAN A MILLION HOMES.
HOWEVER, MANY NANTUCKETERS WHO SHOWED UP TO A RECENT PUBLIC FORUM WANT TO STOP THIS RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT-
URGING THE TOWN’S LEADERSHIP TO DO SO.
“I’m all for alternative energy, but let’s do it right. Let’s stop pushing these projects forward and say, well, we have to accept them.”
DESPITE THE LOCAL PUSHBACK, ATTORNEYS FOR THE TOWN SAY SOUTH COAST WIND IS GOING TO MOVE FORWARD-
WITH OR WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT.
TELLING PEOPLE AT THE MEETING THERE IS NO APPEAL OR LITIGATION THAT COULD CHANGE THE TIMELINE FOR THE PROJECT OR STOP ITS CONSTRUCTION.
“Any appeals or litigation that the town engages in does not change the timeline or the course of permitting for South Coast wind … this would move forward while any appeal from the town of Nantucket was going on.”
NANTUCKET’S LEGAL COUNSEL IS ADVOCATING FOR THE TOWN TO INSTEAD WORK WITH THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT TO FIND AN ACCEPTABLE TRADE OFF.
BOEM HAS ALREADY OFFERED NANTUCKET A TOTAL SUM OF 150,000 DOLLARS TO COVER MITIGATION EFFORTS RELATED TO THE WIND FARM’S CONSTRUCTION.
BUT MANY RESIDENTS OF THE ISLAND DON’T FEEL THAT’S ENOUGH.
“I mean, we talked about the $150,000 that’s a joke.”
“Money is not enough. There isn’t enough money to make up for this.”
THE TOWN’S LAWYERS WARN THAT NANTUCKET IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO NEGOTIATE WITH BOEM-
AND IF THEY CHOOSE TO NOT ENGAGE AT ALL, THAT WOULD LIMIT THEIR ABILITY TO APPEAL THE AGENCY’S PERMIT APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT IN THE FUTURE.
UNDER THIS ADVICE, NANTUCKET’S SELECT BOARD HAS INDICATED IT WILL DECIDE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS WHETHER AND HOW TO RESPOND TO BOEM’S MITIGATION OFFER.
TO GET MORE UPDATES ON THIS STORY AND OTHER OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENTS, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS FROM ME- JACK AYLMER.
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