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Wind Power News: Rhode Island
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.
Newport Energy & Environment Commission in crisis as board member quits over commission’s “blatant failings”
Newport’s Energy & Environment Commission, chaired by Emily Conklin, is in free fall after yet another scandal hit the group which has been pushing pro-wind farm advocacy under the guise of public discourse. The latest blow comes from board member Anne DuBosse Joslin, who has resigned in protest, slamming the commission for what she called “blatant failings” and a “disservice” to the community. In scathing letters to Mayor Khamsyvoravong, the Newport City Council, and her fellow commissioners, Joslin did not . . . Complete story »
Man faces assault charges after incident at Newport city council meeting
A man is facing simple assault and disorderly conduct charges after an incident that happened during a discussion about offshore wind at a Newport city council meeting. Newport police had been searching for the identity of the man, who they did find and arrest within a couple of days. The man, who has since been identified as David Booth by spectators at the meeting, allegedly grabbed a bag of blade fragments from attendee Constance Gee, and tried to take a . . . Complete story »
Rhode Island wind farm forum gets heated; police identify man who attacked speaker
The man was also seen in a photo on Sheldon Whitehouse’s campaign website, standing next to the Senator. A wind farm forum in Newport, Rhode Island, got a little heated last week when a man intervened after attendees raised concerns about offshore wind turbine structures, one of which recently fell apart and left debris in the ocean. In a video shared on Facebook by the Newport Police Department, a woman is seen standing in front of the crowd wearing a . . . Complete story »
Tempers flare in Newport. Turbine debris found on Long Island. Vineyard Wind’s Suspension Order.
As we follow the developments of the Vineyard Wind offshore turbine blade accident, we note the more and more frequent postings and photos of blade debris, not less, as time passes, being found on shores of Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, the Cape, Portsmouth RI, Tiverton, Little Compton, and now off Montauk Long Island. Tempers are at a breaking point, as seen at a recent Newport City Hall meeting – the Newport Police are now trying to find the man in this . . . Complete story »
Grassroots environmental group Green Oceans calls for moratorium on offshore wind construction after Nantucket disaster
Green Oceans, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Rhode Island’s coastal environments, issued a strong call today for an immediate federal and state moratorium on offshore wind (OSW) development. The demand comes in response to what the group describes as a growing environmental crisis after a wind turbine blade shattered off the coast of Nantucket, scattering debris into the ocean. In addition to advocating for the moratorium, Green Oceans has initiated legal action to block the advancement of two . . . Complete story »
Beaches at risk as potential turbine debris reaches Little Compton shores
A local surfer is claiming to have found debris from the Vineyard Wind Project fallen wind turbine on South Shore Beach in Little Compton. Two weeks ago, parts of a turbine blade crashed into the waters at the Vineyard Wind site off the coast of Nantucket. A local surfer is claiming to have found debris from the Vineyard Wind Project fallen wind turbine on South Shore Beach in Little Compton. Since the incident, turbine debris has washed up on the . . . Complete story »
‘Never seen a more dysfunctional process’: Local officials decried Biden’s top-down imposition of wind farms, internal docs show
As the Biden administration accelerated development plans for offshore wind farms, it received vigorous pushback from several local governments in Rhode Island that accused the administration of turning a blind eye to their concerns, according to internal documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. “We have NEVER seen a more dysfunctional process,” local officials wrote in a November 2022 letter addressed to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in which they lambasted federal officials for . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind energy will come at a high cost to Northeast taxpayers
As a renewable energy source, offshore wind appears to be free. In reality, it is among the most expensive electricity options available, and the current plans to develop giant wind farms off the U.S. East Coast will dramatically increase the already high cost of our power. Coastal states, like Rhode Island, are blessed with substantial offshore wind resources. These resources have attracted significant interest from offshore wind developers with encouragement and generous subsidies from federal, state and local governments. Today, . . . 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 »
