Wind Power News: Massachusetts
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch 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.
Solar developer may remove Kingston’s Independence turbine
KINGSTON – The contractor that will build a solar array on the town’s capped landfill may also remove the Independence wind turbine no longer in use. The turbine could be removed before the start of construction of the 1.8 megawatt solar array from IGS Solar of Ohio, the company that has a lease agreement with the town. According to Town Administrator Keith Hickey, it would be much less expensive and more convenient for IGS for construction to begin without the . . . Complete story »
Bernhardt: Trump tried to boost offshore wind, not kill it
Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt defended the Trump administration’s lengthy review of America’s first offshore wind farm in an interview yesterday, saying the additional environmental analysis he ordered was intended to strengthen the project against legal challenges rather than kill it. The Trump administration had initially planned to complete a review of Vineyard Wind in the summer of 2019. But Bernhardt surprised the project’s developers, who proposed a $2.8 billion wind farm near Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., by expanding a government . . . Complete story »
Solar executive with ocean views sues Vineyard Wind
A past opponent of the failed Cape Wind project is asking a federal court to oversee a similar outcome for Vineyard Wind, the first major offshore wind facility to be approved in the United States. In a lawsuit filed yesterday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Thomas Melone argued that federal regulators failed to consider Vineyard Wind’s impact on other ocean users, endangered species and onshore renewable developers. He asked the court to vacate the environmental . . . Complete story »
Solar co sues feds over offshore Vineyard Wind farm approval
A solar energy company has sued the Department of the Interior over its approval of the nation’s first major offshore wind farm, alleging that the project off the coast of Massachusetts threatens the area’s fishing industry and imperiled marine life. In a complaint filed Sunday in Boston federal court, Allco Renewable Energy Ltd accuses the DOI of overlooking risks that the Vineyard Wind project could pollute nearby waters and jeopardize endangered species should the turbines fail to withstand strong hurricanes. . . . Complete story »
Baker seeks $100m for offshore wind port infrastructure
As the offshore wind business is ramping up in Massachusetts and along the East Coast, Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing spending $100 million in federal money on marine port infrastructure to support the emerging industry. The proposal is part of Baker’s $2.9 billion package for how to spend more than half the money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Officials from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs released more details about the offshore wind proposal at a . . . Complete story »
Fighting for fishing grounds in face of wind farms
For almost a half century, Angela Sanfilippo has spearheaded campaigns to protect the physical and economic health of commercial fishermen, their families and the communities in which they live. The longtime president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association waged battle with energy behemoths while opposing two live natural gas pipeline terminals within about a dozen miles of Gloucester’s shores. She fought foreign encroachment into U.S. fishing grounds and wrestled with fishing regulators over onerous fishery management regulations that have shrunk . . . Complete story »
Shutting down wind power in Kingston
KINGSTON – The shadow flicker and noise concerns of the past won’t be revisited upon Kingston residents. The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted 5-0 Tuesday night against supporting Green Development LLC of Rhode Island’s proposal to replace Kingston’s controversial Independence wind turbine with a new one. Selectmen Chairman Kim Emberg read portions of emails from Kingston residents and some nonresidents who live near Green Development’s turbine in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, before proceeding without hesitation to oppose replacing the Independence. Instead, . . . Complete story »
NextEra is blocking a major new clean power transmission project
A major new transmission line intended to pipe carbon-free hydropower from Canada into the U.S. Northeast has met a powerful opponent: the world’s largest provider of renewable energy. The 145-mile (233-kilometer), nearly $1 billion transmission line, known as New England Clean Energy Connect, broke ground in February after nearly three years of review by regulators. If completed, it would be able to import 1.2 gigawatts of electricity from the Canadian utility Hydro-Quebec. That’s enough to reduce carbon emissions in the . . . Complete story »
Biden’s top energy regulator lobbied for company behind admin-approved wind farm
President Joe Biden’s pick to lead a major federal energy agency spent years lobbying for the renewable power giant behind an offshore wind farm backed by the administration, a Washington Free Beacon review of disclosure forms found. Shortly after his inauguration, Biden tapped Richard Glick to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. From 2001 to 2016, Glick served as head lobbyist for Avangrid Renewables, the U.S. subsidiary of Spanish electric conglomerate Iberdrola. The company holds a 50 percent stake in . . . Complete story »
Following Vineyard Wind’s final approval, Mayflower Wind is next up seeking permits
Last week’s federal approval of Vineyard Wind’s first-in-the-nation project was hailed as the start of the offshore wind era – and the project that moves up in the state’s queue is introducing itself to more residents as it prepares for its own turn under the microscope. Mayflower Wind, the Shell and Ocean Winds North America joint venture, selected unanimously by Massachusetts utility executives in 2019 to build and operate an 804-megawatt wind farm about 20 miles south of Nantucket, held the . . . Complete story »
