March 1, 2024
Massachusetts

Brayton Point offshore wind plant hits snag: Residents challenge state air quality permit

by Bruce Mohl, Feb. 29, 2024. commonwealthbeacon.org

The Italian company seeking to build an offshore wind manufacturing facility in Somerset hit a roadblock this week when 12 residents of the community filed a last-minute challenge to a state air quality permit the company needs to begin construction.

Prysmian Group, which is seeking to build a $300 million subsea cable manufacturing plant at Brayton Point, did not respond to a request for comment. But Jamison Souza, the chair of the town’s Select Board, angrily condemned the filing and the “false statements” it contains.

“It’s disgusting,” he said. “This will have a major impact on the residents of Somerset and the South Coast.”

Souza said Prysmian was planning to move ahead with the purchase of the property at Brayton Point once the permit was obtained. With the filing of the appeal, which was dated February 26, the purchase will be delayed and construction will have to wait.

“Who knows how long this appeal will take?” Souza asked.

The stakes are high, both for Somerset, where the plant is expected to generate badly needed tax revenue and jobs, and for the state, which is trying to position itself as a leader in the emerging offshore wind industry. The state has provided $25 million for the construction of a pier at Brayton Point and the town has provided a $20 million tax break.

The local politics in Somerset and at Brayton Point are complicated. The industrially zoned waterfront property at Brayton Point had been the home to one of New England’s largest coal-fired power plants. A redeveloper tore the plant down in 2019 and prepared the property for offshore wind development. That plan hit a snag when former president Donald Trump put the offshore wind industry on hold, spurring the redeveloper to lease a portion of the property to a scrap metal export business that alienated a neighboring community by blanketing it with dust and noise.

The neighbors led a revolt against the scrap metal business, taking over the town politically and fighting the business in court. Eventually, the neighbors won the court battle and the scrap metal business was shut down.

Prysmian then stepped in with plans to build a cable manufacturing facility to serve the offshore wind industry on the East Coast. President Biden even came to Brayton Point to trumpet the potential of offshore wind to transform America.

Many in Somerset rallied around the project, but many of the same neighbors who opposed the scrap metal business became critics of Prysmian and its plans. The neighbors won a number of concessions from the company as the plant moved through the local regulatory process. For example, the company agreed to retrofit its cable-laying ships to operate on electricity when in port rather than using their diesel engines for power.

But the neighbors were never fully satisfied and repeatedly hinted they might take additional action. Just when it seemed the project was in the clear, the so-called “Somerset Neighbors Group” filed a last-minute appeal. The Fall River Reportrer, citing a Facebook post about the challenge, was the first to report its existence.

With a presidential election coming later this year, Souza is worried the political winds on offshore wind could shift again. He would like to see the plant move forward prior to the election.

The appeal is a very dense document raising concerns about noise, dust, odors, and air pollution. The state Department of Environmental Protection issued the permit on February 8. A spokeswoman for DEP offered no timetable for action and it’s unclear whether the agency’s decision on the appeal could be challenged in the courts.

The Somerset Neighbors Group consists of Kathleen and Edward Souza, Patrick and Nicole McDonald. Nancy Thomas, Peter Pelletier, Jeffrey Kardel, Charlene and Edward Faria, Jodi Dupras, Denise Monroe, and Paul Healey. Kathleen Souza, Nicole McDonald, and Nancy Thomas helped lead the fight against the scrap metal business and played a key role in the court case that shut the business down.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2024/03/01/brayton-point-offshore-wind-plant-hits-snag-residents-challenge-state-air-quality-permit/