Wind developer might drop Dartmouth site
The developer of what was to have been three wind farms in Buzzards Bay before a site off Fairhaven was dropped in May said Monday a second site off Dartmouth may not pass muster because of a combination of factors, which would leave only a third site off the Elizabeth Islands for 40 to 60 wind turbines.
C. Trevor Childs, project coordinator for the South Coast Offshore Wind Project of Patriot Renewables, said Monday the Dartmouth site — which has been opposed by many local residents and state legislators — is less certain than it was months ago because of environmental, social and economic factors. Mr. Childs said the Dartmouth location “is not off the table” and may not be for many months, but enough problems have cropped up to make it doubtful whether it could be developed.
Mr. Childs said any wind energy project on ocean waters must have scale to offset costs for installation and maintenance.
Mr. Childs made the disclosure about the Dartmouth site during a meeting Monday night conducted by the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs along with the state Ocean Advisory Commission and Science Advisory Council. It was one of 18 “public listening sessions” the Patrick administration is conducting across the state as it develops the state’s first comprehensive ocean management plan.
About 38 people filled a meeting room in the downtown public library to a hear a presentation by EEA Assistant Secretary Deerin Babb-Brott, who talked about the process that will look at the state’s 1,500 miles of coastline and its ocean waters and is expected to result in a draft plan by summer 2009 and a final plan by December 2009. “Appropriately-scaled renewable energy” is one piece of what is being studied, along with fisheries management and other subjects.
The meeting Monday night was fairly brief — about 40 minutes — and many of those attending were public officials or affiliated with organizations focused on environmental and marine matters.
Among those who spoke was Michael Patrick O’Malley, captain of the scalloper “Feerless,” who expressed concern about possible use of underwater electric-generating turbines and the damage they might do to whales.
Jim Kendall, a fishing industry consultant, said of rules that might limit fishing: “What you see as protection, I see as prohibition.”
Mark Rasmussen of The Coalition for Buzzards Bay told state officials their time line for gathering information was too short, given “insufficient scientific evidence,” to reach reliable conclusions. Mr. Rasmussen also raised concerns about the large amounts of petroleum that is shipped through Buzzards Bay.
State Rep. William Strauss of Mattapoissett warned that Buzzards Bay belongs to the public and it is “not for any government to give away public resources” without proper review.
State Rep. Robert Koczera also attended.
By Joe Cohen
Standard-Times staff writer
7 October 2008
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