By CFACT
David Wojick
Biden's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to build massive floating offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine. As required by law, it has released a draft environmental impact assessment for the area designated for this monster project for public comment. But, crazy as it may seem, there is no assessment of the project, only of the area without the project. This is no joke.
This place is aptly called the Wind Energy Area (WEA), because that's where the wind energy will come from. BOEM says they plan to issue eight leases initially with a massive development potential of 15,000 MW. Since 15 MW is the largest turbine available, that's 1,000 or more huge turbines. A second phase could add another thousand or so.
The potential negative impacts of this offshore wind project on whales are enormous. In fact, the Gulf of Maine is designated as critical habitat for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale under the Endangered Species Act, so caution is clearly warranted.
The draft environmental assessment simply ignores this enormous threat. BOEM says these potentially dire impacts will only be considered on a lease-by-lease basis and only after concrete development plans have been submitted. So for now, it's “to hell with the whales, full speed ahead.”
Here is BOEM's incredible statement, a single sentence: “The analysis did not consider the construction and operation of commercial wind turbines within the Gulf of Maine WEA. The latter would be evaluated under a separate process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when a lessee submits a Construction and Operation Plan (COP).”
BOEM does not seem to have considered that a thorough impact assessment under NEPA is essential before any leases are offered. A proper assessment might conclude that some of these leases should not be awarded. Or it might require restrictions on the development of some of the leases. These leases will likely sell for billions of dollars in total, and buyers will expect to get their money's worth. It will be too late by then for major restrictions.
In addition, a cumulative impact assessment of the entire multi-lease project must be conducted under the Endangered Species Act. Given the critical habitat designation for right whales, this project may not be legal and this determination must be made before the leases are awarded.
The key concept of the NEPA assessment is that impacts are reasonably likely, and at least the 15,000 MW impacts certainly are. This assessment must be done before the agency makes a decision, which means the leases must be awarded.
The design details are unlikely to affect the impact assessment much. While there are many competing floating wind turbines, they are all fundamentally the same. A turbine tower sits on a floating body anchored to the seabed by mooring lines. The shape and design of the floating bodies is the most important variable, and this is small compared to the negative impacts of thousands of them.
BOEM misunderstood the decision logic. Careful assessment of adverse impacts under NEPA and species conservation plans under the Endangered Species Act must precede and guide activity in leasing sites for floating wind development.
Public comments must be submitted by July 22, 2024 and can be submitted here:
https://www.regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2024-0030-0001
The draft Gulf of Maine WEA Environmental Impact Assessment and numerous related documents can be found here: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine
Note that there will be two virtual public meetings on the EA draft on July 8 and 10. Information and registration are available at the link above.
I urge people to comment. Save the whales from offshore wind.
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