Latest news with #LisaQuattrockiKnight
Business Wire
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Wire
Green Oceans and Three Tribes Petition NOAA to Revoke Offshore Wind Companies' Authorizations That Harm 61% of the Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales While Building their Projects
LITTLE COMPTON, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Three Native American tribes, the Shinnecock Nation, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah, the Narragansett Tribe, ACK for Whales, and Green Oceans have petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to revoke the authorizations granted to harass and harm whales and other marine mammals during the construction of the Sunrise, Revolution, and New England Wind projects. In violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Letters of Authorization (LOAs) issued by NOAA allow the offshore wind developers to illegally 'take' or harm an excessive number of marine mammals, including the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW), while building offshore wind projects.. The petition also provides hard evidence connecting the construction of offshore wind projects and the deaths of endangered NARW, of which there are fewer than 350 left and demonstrates that the government's basis for allowing the LOAs relies on incomplete and flawed analysis. 'The collective harm from these projects will be devastating and likely irreversible if they are not stopped,' said Dr. Lisa Quattrocki Knight, co-founder and President of Green Oceans. 'We urge Commerce Secretary Lutnick to look at the previous administration's reckless permitting that threatens the health of our ocean and the animals that live there. The facts speak for themselves: these projects should not be allowed to proceed.' On an annualized basis, Revolution Wind 'takes' constitute approximately 12% of the NARW population, a figure that the courts and the National Marine Fisheries Service have said exceeds the statutorily allowed 'small numbers.' Over a five-year period, the combined 'takes' by Revolution, Sunrise, and New England Wind constitute 61% of the NARW population alive today. Whales cannot discern the boundaries between projects so NOAA shouldn't evaluate projects as one-offs in the same general lease area that will engage in construction activities at the same time. 'This is a death sentence for the Right Whales and an egregious violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act,' Dr. Knight said. 'NOAA's Letters of Authorization protect offshore wind investors at the expense of the environment. The law says the exact opposite.' About Green Oceans Green Oceans is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, community organization dedicated to combating climate change without jeopardizing the health of the ocean or the life it sustains.
Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Green Oceans Report Reveals Systematic Non-Compliance in Offshore Wind Development
LITTLE COMPTON, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Oceans, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, today released its comprehensive report entitled, Cancelling Offshore Wind Leases. The report, by Planet A Strategies, analyzes the legal frameworks underlying federal agency decision-making for offshore wind (OSW) development in six offshore wind projects located in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas (RI/MA WEAs), which encompass nearly a million acres of ocean territory on the outer coastal shelf. It outlines potential violations of statutory and regulatory requirements under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and finds that the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) decisions to promulgate these contracts not only exceed its statutory authority but also violate procedural law to justify projects that are causing irreversible environmental, cultural, and economic consequences. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) decisions to promulgate these contracts violate procedural law to justify projects that are causing irreversible environmental, cultural, and economic consequences. Share 'This Report demonstrates that BOEM's review of these projects was fraught with omitted, misrepresented, and arguably false information regarding its ability to provide reliable electricity,' said Green Oceans President Lisa Quattrocki Knight. 'The projects also have significant adverse environmental, economic, and national security consequences. The Trump Administration has sufficient executive authority and reason to cancel the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas leases.' Critical data and legal criteria in the report reveal possible omissions or misrepresentations by OSW project developers and government decision-makers. This is shown by citing OCSLA provisions, environmental protection statutes, state obligations to serve, Federal Power Act electricity system reliability rules, and federal requirements from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These include misrepresentations about: Bulk transmission system reliability Actual installed capacity requirements for fully decarbonized electricity generation Actual amount of electricity generated by OSW operations versus ratepayer demand Illegal segment-by-segment lease issuance Encroachment on national security operations and training Dire economic impacts on maritime activities like fishing and navigation The North Atlantic right whale population resides in the RI/MA WEA. The region also encompasses one of the last remaining spawning grounds for Southern New England cod. Offshore wind development permitted by these leases could lead to the extinction of both species. Federal documents also confirm that offshore developments will compromise the East Coast's only Early Warning Radar system operated by Cape Cod Space Force Stations, underwater threat detection capabilities, military readiness, and Coast Guard search and rescue operations. BOEM's studies acknowledge long-term, major adverse and irreversible impacts on fishing and regional fisheries, and the historical and cultural resources of the Wampanoag Nation of Gay Head/Aquinnah. The Wampanoag Nation has inhabited Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. BOEM did not adequately consider the cumulative impact of all proposed development on the entire lease area, a legal requirement of their authority. The Green Oceans report aligns with the ongoing comprehensive federal review of wind leasing and permitting practices, as directed by the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025, and makes the case for immediate intervention overwhelming, both on legal and policy grounds. The six offshore wind projects referenced throughout this announcement are: Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind, South Fork Wind, Sunrise Wind, SouthCoast Wind, and New England Wind. You may access the full report here: About Green Oceans Green Oceans is a nonprofit, non-partisan group of community members dedicated to the preservation and protection of our nation's marine ecosystems and coastal communities. For more information or to get involved, visit:
