Green Oceans and Allies Urge Interior Secretary Burgum to Halt All Offshore Wind Construction in New England Because of Flawed Permitting
Citing a recent Government Accountability Office report that confirms repeated oversight failures by BOEM, the coalition urged Secretary Burgum to declare a comprehensive moratorium and begin a thorough reevaluation of the projects, including proper tribal consultation and cumulative impact analysis.
The organizations–– Green Oceans, ACK for Whales, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Protect Our Westport Waters, Save Greater Dowses Beach, Save Right Whales Coalition, and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah––collectively petitioned Secretary Burgum to rescind the approvals for the projects and begin a 'complete reevaluation' of their permits under applicable federal laws. They cited material deficiencies in environmental impact analyses and legal violations.
The coalition cited serious fears about real and imminent threats to marine ecosystems, endangered North Atlantic right whales, Tribal Cultural Resources, national security, and the regional economy posed by Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind, South Fork Wind, Sunrise Wind, SouthCoast Wind, and New England Wind.
The projects' collective lease area occupies 1400 square miles of environmentally sensitive marine habitat; and if built out, would stretch from Long Island to Cape Cod.
The letter, which identifies many and repeated material deficiencies in the government's approval process, the heavy burden to taxpayers, and the lack of material benefit emphasized the urgent need to act:
Time is critical. Pile driving is resuming in waters currently occupied by nearly half of the remaining North Atlantic right whale population in the world. Without your immediate intervention, these projects will drive this highly endangered species closer to extinction, irreversibly damaging Tribal Cultural Resources, marine habitats, and biodiversity. As a nation, we have both a legal right and an ethical responsibility to protect these precious yet fragile resources.
The letter also said the projects threaten:
Critical habitat destruction impacting cod spawning grounds.
Inadequate response to turbine blade failures and environmental cleanup.
Severe adverse impacts on regional fisheries and economic displacement.
Compromised national defense radar and marine safety capabilities.
Misleading economic analyses that omit substantial regional job losses and increased electricity prices.
"The future of our oceans and the countless species and communities depending on them rests on swift, decisive action," said Lisa Quattrocki Knight, President and co-founder of Green Oceans. "We respectfully call on Secretary Burgum to establish a lasting legacy of responsible ocean stewardship and lawful governance," she added.
'These projects could cost the US taxpayer over $60 billion in the next several years. They will raise the price of electricity. Higher electricity prices will displace manufacturing jobs. Fishing jobs have already been harmed. Most egregiously, these projects will not influence climate change,' said Dr. Knight. 'Every day that another pile is driven into the ecologically fragile seabed, more ocean is despoiled, more marine life is threatened, and the right whale moves closer to extinction. This is an urgent problem that needs an immediate remedy.'
'Once these turbines are built, we will have a recurring environmental catastrophe off our shores that will be difficult, if not impossible, to undo and afford. These predominantly foreign energy conglomerates that have been dependent upon federal dollars to construct them have also been unjustly relieved of the requirement to set aside funding for decommissioning. Instead, the taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. Better to stop the construction now before it's too late,' ACK for Whales President Val Oliver said.
'We are optimistic,' said Susanne Conley, Save Dowses Beach Executive Director. 'Secretary Burgum has expressed his skepticism of the offshore wind industry, writing on social media last month, 'The offshore wind industry has relied on tax subsidies for 30 years – not anymore.''
A copy of the letter can be found at Green-Oceans.org.
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