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Wind Power News: Oregon
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Oregon seafood industry calls on Gov. Tina Kotek to halt offshore wind energy development
Some of the most powerful and consistent winds in the world are located off the southwest Oregon coast, according to the Oregon Department of Energy. A coalition of independent fishing boat operators, seafood companies and industry groups is calling on Gov. Tina Kotek to ask the federal government to stop a planned auction for floating wind energy projects off the Oregon Coast. In a letter to Kotek on Tuesday, the more than 100 signatories said she should stop the U.S. . . . Complete story »
Tolowa Dee-ni oppose Windmill Energy
The Tolowa Dee-ni Nation announced it has passed a Resolution opposing offshore wind energy. The Nation, which covers Del Norte County and much of southwest Oregon, urges the Department of Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt all scoping and permitting for offshore wind projects, until a comprehensive and transparent procedure is developed. The Tolowa Dee-ni is a federally recognized Indian Nation, one of 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States that depend on traditional places, foods . . . Complete story »
Crashed truck carrying wind turbine tower closes I-84 in eastern Oregon
A truck transporting a large section of a wind turbine tower crashed on westbound Interstate 84, closing both directions of the freeway between exit 304 North of Baker City and exit 374 near Ontario on Wednesday. The closure is also impacting eastbound traffic from exit 265 near La Grande to Ontario. A photo shared by the Oregon Department of Transportation shows a semitruck on its side. A wind turbine section is blocking the roadway. Transportation officials warned that the eastern . . . Complete story »
Oregon lawmakers call for pause on offshore wind energy plans
Oregon lawmakers are calling on a federal agency to postpone plans to build two offshore wind energy projects off of the Oregon coast. In a letter sent Thursday, the bipartisan Oregon Coastal Caucus outlined concerns over a lack of public engagement for the proposed Wind Energy Areas. The plans include offshore wind projects near Coos Bay and Brookings – totaling approximately 195,012 acres with 2.4 gigawatts of clean renewable energy potential. While the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said they engaged . . . Complete story »
Tribe passes resolution opposing offshore wind energy development, citing impacts to fisheries, cultural resources, and heritage
The Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (“Tribe”) unanimously passed a resolution expressing its opposition to offshore wind energy development off the Oregon Coast. The resolution corresponds with the deadline for comments on the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) two draft Wind Energy Areas (“WEAs”) for development of wind energy in areas near Florence and Brookings. “After meetings with the Director of BOEM, it was apparent to the Tribe that . . . Complete story »
Tribes concerned about wind energy development impact to fisheries, local jobs, and pristine viewsheds
Last week, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) released two draft Wind Energy Areas (“WEAs”) for development of offshore wind energy off the Oregon Coast, including areas near Florence and Brookings. The release of these WEAs was contrary to the call of the Oregon Governor and Congressional delegation requesting that the process for wind energy development by suspended to ensure that the concerns of local residents, commercial fishing, and Tribes are fully considered in the process. The Confederated . . . Complete story »
Gov. Kotek calls for pause on offshore wind turbines
Gov. Tina Kotek is joining a chorus of voices – including tribes and commercial fishermen – urging the Biden administration to slow down its push for floating wind farms in the Pacific Ocean off the state’s southern coast. In a letter sent Friday to Elizabeth Klein, director of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Kotek asked the agency to pause identifying and leasing offshore wind areas in order to fully evaluate impacts on the environment and economy. The letter was also . . . Complete story »
A transition to clean energy was supposed to be equitable. Instead, it’s hurting Indigenous communities.
When Francisco Calí Tzay, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, spoke at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII, last week, he listed clean energy projects as some of the most concerning threats to their rights. “I constantly receive information that Indigenous Peoples fear a new wave of green investments without recognition of their land tenure, management, and knowledge,” said Calí Tzay. His statements – and those made by other delegates – at . . . Complete story »
Dem senators from 4 states ask NOAA to address whale deaths
Democratic U.S. Senators from four states want federal environmental officials to address a spate of whale deaths on both coasts, urging “transparency and timeliness” in releasing information about whale deaths and their causes. The call late Tuesday by New Jersey Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker; Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse for action by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marked the first large-scale request for action by Democratic federal lawmakers . . . Complete story »
Amid scrutiny, PGE overhauls flagship wind farm to address safety and reliability problems
Portland General Electric plans to overhaul its flagship wind farm to address known maintenance problems and safety concerns exposed in an August investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive. The utility’s proposed fixes follow years of apparent inaction and come amid new scrutiny from state regulators who previously either ignored or did not recognize the scope of problems at the aging facility in the Columbia River Gorge. PGE temporarily shuttered its Biglow Canyon wind farm last year after a massive blade from one . . . Complete story »
