Tag Archives: Deepwater Wind
“Make no mistake about it, the Town of East Hampton has sold out commercial fishermen,”
New York is close to approving the state’s first offshore wind farm, hoping to sidestep the controversies that have left other East Coast projects in limbo and the United States’ vast offshore wind capacity untapped. (only in America can the wind become a commodity!) More hyperbole. By contrast, the South Fork proposal appears to have local support, notably in the town of East Hampton, where the wind farm’s transmission lines would connect to land. The town council voted in 2014 to secure a completely carbon-free electricity supply by 2020, followed by transportation and heating in 2030. “The citizens of East Hampton have been visionary about that goal, very vocal in their support for offshore wind,” said Kit Kennedy, the director of the energy and transportation program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. (beware of anyone that calls herself “Kit”) One advantage that South Fork has over Cape Wind: Its 30-mile distance from land means that the turbines will not be visible on the horizon. (because the citizens would be reminded every month of being scammed, when the open they open their electric bills) Read the rest here 08:13
Is America’s First Offshore Wind Farm A Real Revolution Or Just Another Green Boondoggle?
Manna From Heaven: How D.E. Shaw and a politically connected attorney persuaded Rhode Island to build America’s first-ever offshore wind farm–and a risk-free money machine. So how did they pull this off? Connections. A decade ago Grybowski was chief of staff to then Governor Don Carcieri, who pushed the Rhode Island General Assembly to back offshore wind as a way of diversifying the tiny state’s power supply. Grybowski, an attorney, left Carcieri and went into private practice in 2007. Two years later the state passed a bill to support offshore wind. The state took it upon itself to study wind speeds, talk to fishermen and boaters, and contemplate the effect that pile-driving would have on migrating whales. It was the state that chose the Block Island site and, to use Grybowski’s word, “deconflicted” the project. Read the rest here 17:25
Deepwater Wind Farm project and delays are negatively affecting fishermen
National Grid to ask for extension – Won’t impact overall project schedule! Click here That’s the problem. It won’t hurt the project, but it is affecting the fishermen. One of them contacted us, and is wild that the project has a barge and tug planted in the area he was planning on working. The project has had major impacts on fishermen, such as, the run through RI’s historic Black Point fish trap click here which essentially forced the guy to settle, and now they are running behind on land and with cable laying. After repeated promises that there would be no exclusion zone around the towers after last summer (which also needed to be extended a month and a half for which fishermen went uncompensated), the Coast Guard has now enacted another exclusion zone for which DWW says it will not compensate fishermen. Also, they have refused to compensate fishermen for the pre cable laying grapnel runs and cable installations, which, if they follow their patterns of delay and incompetence, will also hurt the industry. 07:16
Deepwater Wind Opponents of RI Wind Farm Head to Court
The first off-shore wind farm in the United States will have Rhode Islanders footing the bill at $497 million above market cost, taxpayers claim in Federal Court. The Aug. 14 lawsuit comes less than a month after Deepwater Wind touted the installation of its first foundation component for the Block Island Wind Farm. With construction “now imminent,” plaintiffs Benjamin Riggs and Laurence Ehrhardt say a federal judge must enjoin Deepwater’s power-purchase agreement with Narragansett Electric Co., more commonly known as National Grid. Read the rest here 14:09
Barge accident dents wind farm foundation off Rhode Island
First, it was the weather. Rough seas forced the Providence company to push back until last Sunday the installation of the first steel foundation for the five-turbine wind farm off Block Island. Now, Deepwater is dealing with a construction mishap. Earlier this week, one of the barges being used in the project hit the latticework “jacket” foundation that had been placed in the water and dented one of its four hollow, tubular legs.,, a previously-scheduled boat tour on Monday of the project site for U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Gov. Raimondo and other elected leaders and state officials to marvel this engineering feat! Read the rest here 09:45
The Ocean Grabbing, Ripping, Gutting, and Fishing Restrictions Begin Off Block Island!
Construction will begin the week of July 20, and take about 8 weeks. Vessels are also prohibited within the Coast Guard’s 500-yard Safety Zone around each foundation during construction. Area B is a heavily used trawling area this time of year, and there may be some irate draggers,” said Rhode Island lobsterman Bill McElroy at Deepwater’s meeting last week to share construction plans and fishing access information. Read the rest here 12:18
Deepwater Wind’s political ties helped lift $1.5B green-energy proposal to LIPA finals
“If there is financial influence that’s trying to push for a project that should not be funded, it would be terribly disappointing because it should be not about winning but doing what’s right,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the. Deepwater’s ties to environmental groups also run deep. One high-profile supporter of the Long Island project is the Natural Resources Defense Council. Read the rest here 12:17
Massachusetts: “Hey ! your going the wrong way.” Renewable Energy Failures Mount, While in RI,,,
Remember Governor Patrick (the guy fighting Commerce for Fish Aid?) wanted the Massachusetts taxpayers to build the 91 million dollar “ship to no where” in 2010? Governor Patrick proposed a specialized “jack up” vessel for installing offshore wind farms. Who exactly is determining the direction of spending hundreds of millions of Massachusetts taxpayer dollars on ocean wind turbine projects ? You’ve gotta Read more here! 19:21
Deepwater Wind critic alleges mishandling of public hearings The complaint filed on July 11 centers on Shields’ testimony at a CRMC subcommittee hearing on Feb. 27, when he alleges the subcommittee members prevented him and two other individuals from testifying on the potential negative economic impact of the wind farm, while proponents of Deepwater Wind were allowed to comment on project costs and economics without interruption. 20:40
Montauk Commercial Fishermen Want Say on Wind Farm
The queer minded notions of Deepwater chief executive Jeffrey Grybowski
As a Rhode Island company navigates multiple regulatory agencies in order to construct the first offshore wind farms in the United States in the ocean east of Montauk, commercial fishermen are raising concerns about how such projects will impact their livelihood. “We’re trying to sustainably grow the fishing economy,” said Ms. Brady, who lives in Montauk. “You don’t destroy something in the name of green energy. To destroy a sustainable industry in the name of sustainability is insane.” Read more here 16:53
Some Deepwater Resistance to Deepwater Wind
PEACE DALE — Both sides of a recent debate held at the Lily Pads Professional Center agreed on one thing: climate change is being caused by human activity. However, they disagreed whether industrial wind, specifically the proposed wind farms off the coast of Rhode Island, is a solution to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. ecori Read more here 16:15
Rhode Island company proposes wind farm 30 miles off Montauk
The queer minded notions of Deepwater chief executive Jeffrey Grybowski
“It’s green energy for investors only,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Assoc., a Montauk-based group that has opposed some of the projects because of impacts on sea bottom and reduced fishing access. Grybowski said the federal government and Deepwater have met with fishing interests and have agreed keep turbines off the most important fishing sectors. Read more here 19:07
Offshore Wind Advocates Want Feds to Delay Leasing Tracts Off Jersey Coast
Letter warns governor, legislators that untimely leases could hurt NJ’s offshore wind industry. Read more@njspotlight 10:50
Barbara Durkin – Offshore Wind Nothing But Hot Air
The fishing industry representatives with whom I collaborate with and hear at public hearings are outraged about the loss of fishing grounds and essential fish habitat to wind developers. Neither the feds nor state worked with fishing industry reps, they steamrolled them.* Politics drive the wind initiative. more@ocori 10:51
Big Projects, Money at Offshore Wind Conference – Plenty of wind shills, political puppet opportunists, bureaucrats, and self-described stake holders in the ocean zoning gold rush. link
Letter: Cape Wind not worth the price – The total capacity of land-based wind power coming under contract in 2013 is nearly twice what was promised by Cape Wind. The price per kWh is less than half the price from Cape Wind. If Cape Wind had built its offshore wind farm at the cost projected in 2001, it too could sell renewable energy at a fair price. link 14:55
Alaska has Pebble Mine, New England has it’s Pebble – offshore wind – Deepwater changes plan
The Providence-based company planning a five-turbine wind farm in waters near Block Island is working to secure an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Management that would allow it to bury the transmission cable under Scarborough State Beach and then connect it to the regional power grid. more@providencejournal 10:01
RI Coastal Resources Management Council Hearing – September 24 – 6:00 PM – State Administration Building, Conference Room A, One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI
Many of you have this already but this meeting on September 24, regarding the Deepwater Wind’s opportunity in getting the language changed in this proposal needs to be forwarded to as many people as possible. Please log onto DeepwaterResistance website to find details in time and location. Tina Jackson, President AAFC Proposed changes here Deepwater Resistance.org 10:28
Two companies race to be first in offshore wind that will encroach on our fishing areas. The politicians are just giddy about it!
“Cape Wind and Deepwater Wind are both ‘in the running’ for building America’s first offshore wind farm, we think we will be first and they think they will be first. It is a good-natured ‘competition.’ The reality is we both wish each other well because our success will help them and their success will help us,” Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers said. “We are just in the early stages of launching the U.S. offshore wind industry and at this stage getting ‘steel in the water’ is incredibly important. So no, there is no concern at either company that the other’s moving forward would have any negative effect.” more@southcoasttoday 10:46
“Deepwater Resistance.” Deepwater Wind scraps plan for cable to pass through Narragansett
PROVIDENCE — Deepwater Wind has withdrawn its proposal to the Town of Narragansett to run an electric transmission cable through town from its planned wind farm off Block Island. @providencejournal
Town Council Meeting Monday, August 5 Time: 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM – Deepwater Wind Narragansett vote – Narragansett Town Hall, Narragansett, RI
A MOTION to DENY the request of Deepwater Wind Block Island Transmission, LLC for permanent and temporary easements needed over property owned by the Town of Narragansett, including but not limited to the Town Beach, for the construction of the Block Island Wind Farm. Narragansett.gov
Town Council Meeting Date: August 5 Narragansett Town Hall Address: 25 Fifth Avenue Narragansett, RI 02882 Contact: (401) 782-0603 Email: Inquire via email
Battlefront: Ocean Industrialization – DeepWater Wind and Europol – ‘Threat Assessment Italian Organized Crime’ – Barbara Durkin
There is a new report from Europol ‘Threat Assessment Italian Organized Crime’ that should elevate your concerns about DeepWater Wind formed by UPC First Wind. As I stated to you in my letter of May 8, 2013, (that followed by in person testimony to Narragansett Town Council), in part: The business history of UPC First Wind affiliates and subsidiaries is remarkable because their wind projects consistently fail to produce energy,,,continued here (There’s a lot of information in the links at the article)
The DeepWater Wind, Narragansett and Block Island demostration wind farm – Ken Williamson
Aloha Fishery Nation, What most people don’t know is State of Hawaii has been exploring alternate energy since 1960s and at one time had the world’s largest wind turbine in test operations. If it deals with alternate energy it has been tested and documented in Hawaii. HI is an international alternate (green) energy testing center. All except for offshore wind farms which was state-wide rejected as cost prohibitive, damaging to ocean environment and endangerment to marine life, high cost of maintenance, unsightly and artificially driving electric rates higher (they wanted $0.20/Kwh. Purchase Price Agreement (PPA) when burning diesel fuel cost $0.09-$0.11/Kwh.). HI does have wind farms but they are land based also HI has U.S. patents for interfacing wind farms to legacy electrical power grids (grid with no modern smart grid components). continued here click for larger image
Monday evening (May 6th) Narragansett Town Council Meeting on Deepwater Wind
The AFL-CIO president for R.I. sent out a robocall today encouraging members to come to tomorrow night’s meeting in support of Deepwater’s request to make a landing on the mainland in Narragansett. My family received the robocall. I wanted to give you all a heads-up. I do not see why a national labor organization is getting involved in this project and it just looks like another example of the alliance of Big Government, Big Business (and now Big Labor) trying to shove this project down Narragansett’s (and Rhode Island’s) throats. It is now more important for you to reach out to ALL your local contacts to make sure they attend tomorrow night’s meeting.
SO, MY NEW FRIENDS: If you have friends or colleagues who can come to Narragansett, please encourage them to come to this meeting.
Deepwater and their connections in Providence need to know that we will not be intimidated.
Just for you information, the former CEO of DWW testified under oath at the PUC Docket 4111 hearing that this project will results in SIX permanent jobs.
Hundreds of millions of dollars, degradation of our ocean and our beaches, our fishing grounds, our way of life, so they can make buckets of money and give our economy and state SIX PERMANENT JOBS!!
Thanks for whatever you can do,
Maggie
Former RI Attorney General James E. O’Neil, Esq. Letters to Rhode Island Coastal Resources – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Deepwater Wind
Rhode Island Coastal Resources February 1, 2013
Management Council
Re: Objection to Deepwater Wind Requested Waiver of Application Fee
Dear Sir/Madam,
Please be advised that I respectfully request that my objection to request for waiver of application fee be recorded and be a matter of record in this matter. In addition to objecting to Deepwater’s requested waiver, I am also requesting that a public hearing be scheduled in order that the public be afforded the opportunity to be heard and to witness the process as CRMC considers Deepwater’s request.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers February 1, 2013
Re: Deepwater Wind
File Number NAE-2009-789
Dear Mr. Elliot,
I am respectfully requesting that the Corps comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and applicable Federal regulations by compiling an objective, independent environmental impact statement relating to the Deepwater application. Deepwater’s proposed project will consist of five wind turbines, measuring approximately 660 feet in height, covering 117 acres of ocean located three and a half miles, south, southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island. Dredging which will be essential to the project as well as the obstruction of navigation will be significant. The recent concern regarding the decrease in Winter Flounder and the impact the Deepwater project will have on that precious population is clearly an issue. Some have argued that the turbine structures will create a reef which will attract a greater population of fish. If in fact such premise has a ring of truth, one must then wonder how can the hard working members of our fishing fleet harvest fish in waters being “beaten” by turbines. This is not simply a public works project; this is a project by a private developer who stands to earn millions.
Deepwater Wind Statement on BOEM’s Announcement of Wind Energy Area for Rhode Island and Massachusetts
“Deepwater Wind applauds today’s announcement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. We are one step closer to making a regional utility-scale offshore wind farm a reality, serving Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Long Island, New York. Our Deepwater Wind Energy Center, planned for the site in federal waters announced by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today, is the largest planned renewable……….Offshore wind can be constructed and operated in our ocean waters without significant impacts to the important fishing industry. While we firmly believe that offshore wind and commercial fishing can co-exist and thrive in our ocean waters,,,,,,,,,,,Deepwater Wind will soon hire an experienced and respected fisherman from this region to serve as our liaison to the fishing community. Deepwater Wind commits itself to a development and permitting process in which various fishing interests blah blah blah blah, William M. Moore, Deepwater Wind CEO http://dwwind.com/news/deepwater-wind-statement-on-boem-s-announcement-of-wind-energy-area-for-rhode-island-and-massachusetts
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/03/us-deepwater-wind-idUSBRE8920ZX20121003
