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Wind Power News: Connecticut
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission 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. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
US groups in legal bid to revoke New England 1 & 2 offshore wind permits
US environmental and fishing groups have filed a suit in federal court claiming the Departments of Interior and Commerce and sub-agencies violated the law when they approved the Record of Decision (RoD) for Avangrid’s almost 1800MW New England 1&2 offshore wind projects. Nantucket-based environmental grassroots group ACK For Whales, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah, Green Oceans, a coalition of charter fishing groups and seven individuals have the filed suit. The suit, filed in Washington, DC federal court on May . . . Complete story »
States sue Trump administration over federal roadblocks on wind energy, citing economic harm and climate goals
A coalition of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump’s attempt to stop the development of wind energy. Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging an executive order Trump signed during his first day in office, pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects both onshore and offshore. They say Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process, and he’s jeopardizing development of a power source critical . . . Complete story »
Citing costs, Connecticut balks at multistate effort to boost offshore wind
It was supposed to be New England’s biggest and most innovative offshore wind initiative ever – a three-state solicitation by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island designed to get the best prices and efficiencies for a lot of new offshore wind that would be key in creating carbon-free energy to help curb climate change. It was the first such effort in the U.S., and it would also reset the offshore wind process in the region, which has suffered setbacks in the last . . . Complete story »
Seabed ‘geohazard’ glauconite adds crushing risk to giant US offshore wind farm plans
Part of Iberdrola-controlled Avangrid’s uncontracted 2.2GW New England Wind project could face added construction risk from a little-known seabed mineral glauconite that can interfere with and even prevent monopile foundation installation, the developer confirmed to Recharge. Glauconite is a green-coloured mineral in the mica group found in seabed strata throughout the Northeast Atlantic coastline that has been identified as “a potential geohazard” by US federal offshore energy regulator Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). “Glauconite’s susceptibility to crushing can result . . . Complete story »
Developers pitch new offshore wind projects off Vineyard coast
Four offshore wind energy developers eyeing the water south of the Vineyard submitted new proposals to Massachusetts and other neighboring states last week in an effort to get new wind farms in the ocean within the next several years. The new wave of projects could come as early as 2029, though the developers also had timelines running into 2031 and beyond. None of the companies plan to have any operations on Martha’s Vineyard, leaving Vineyard Wind as the only project . . . Complete story »
Avangrid pulls contract for offshore Park City wind power project
Orange-based Avangrid, which is a subsidiary of Spain’s energy giant Iberdrola, is pulling out of its contract to provide electricity to Connecticut via the Park City Wind project. Company officials said late Monday that Avangrid has agreed, along with Eversource Energy and The United Illuminating Co., to “terminate the purchase power agreements” with the two Connecticut electric distribution utilities. Avangrid is the corporate parent of Orange-based United Illuminating. The project called for providing 804-megawatts of power to Connecticut homes and . . . Complete story »
Global Dockworker Unions join ILA to stop Ørsted US from stripping ILA work jurisdiction handling off-shore wind components
Dockworkers from around the world will be joining the International Longshoremen’s Association this Wednesday, September 20th, hosting rallies at waterfront ports and terminals at countless global locations to draw attention to the orchestrated attack on the ILA’s core work jurisdiction by Ørsted US, a developer of wind farms for the production of electricity. The ILA, and its affiliated Local 1411, in New London, Connecticut, are spearheading this Global Day of Action against Ørsted US to fight to retain ILA jobs. . . . Complete story »
State governors seeking federal help for offshore wind industry
A group of U.S. governors is calling on the Biden administration to help ease the “extraordinary economic challenges” that have combined to threaten not only future offshore wind development, but also the number of projects that are already under way. In a letter submitted to the White House, the governors of Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island say “inflationary pressures, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering supply-chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic” have resulted . . . 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 »
Federal probe covers all aspects of CT Port Authority operations
The Connecticut Port Authority has fully complied with subpoenas from federal and state investigators probing the development of the state pier in New London and other operations, authority Chairman David Kooris said Friday. In a subpoena issued last March, the U.S. Department of Justice requested all records and correspondence effectively covering all authority business between 2016 and the present. Kooris said this includes matters related to the development of the state pier to serve as the launching point for a . . . Complete story »
