Vineyard Wind dealt blows on two fronts

Edgartown commission rejects cables, but Vineyard Wind appeals ruling to DEP.

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Vineyard Wind and Epsilon Associates personnel confer ahead of the vote. — Rich Saltzberg

Updated July 12 @3 pm

The Edgartown conservation commission, in a 5-1 vote Wednesday, denied a permit for cables that would pass through the Muskeget Channel.

Vineyard Wind proposed to bury two 400-megawatt export cables one mile off Chappaquiddick from its proposed wind farm 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard to a site in Barnstable.

The cables had been approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, but at the Edgartown hearings, fishermen pushed back strongly against them, saying that the cables might have detrimental marine effects.

Vineyard Wind and their consultants, Epsilon, appeared stunned after the vote. No one from the contingent would comment on the decision. Later, Scott Farmelant, a spokesman for the project, issued a statement: “Vineyard Wind appreciates the efforts of the Edgartown conservation commission and local stakeholders for its very detailed project review process, which focused on a broad range of issues associated with the work contemplated in the Muskeget Channel …”

In a release sent out a day after the decision, the Edgartown conservation commission summed up how they arrived at their vote.

“After a lengthy hearing and review process, the commission voted to deny the application under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act,” the release states. “The commission found that the applicant, Vineyard Wind, did not submit sufficient information to protect against long-term and short-term adverse effects on the resource area, land under the ocean. This area is critical for the protection of marine fisheries, land containing shellfish, storm damage prevention, flood control, and protection of wildlife habitat. The commission determined that the predictions offered by Vineyard Wind were not sufficient to allow the alteration of the resources of Muskeget Channel at this time.”

In the statement, the commission acknowledged “the extraordinary and diligent efforts undertaken by Vineyard Wind to identify and mitigate the environmental impacts from the cable” over 30 years. “Some of the information the commission was lacking included a decommissioning plan for the cables; plans for further development of additional leases for wind power, and protocol for the post-construction studies to determine if the benthic habitat and other marine resources have adequately recovered,” the release states. 

Commissioners will issue a written decision by July 18. “The commissioners acknowledge that it was a very difficult decision,” the release states.

On Friday, Vineyard Wind countered, saying in a press release that they will seek a superseding order by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to overturn the conservation commission decision.
“Vineyard Wind always places a priority on working with local communities, and was fully responsive to all information requests received from the Edgartown conservation commission,” Erich Stephens, chief development officer for Vineyard Wind, said in a prepared statement. “We are disappointed in the commission’s decision, which was flawed, inconsistent with the evidence before it, and in contrast to the conclusions of many other regulatory authorities. Vineyard Wind unfortunately has no choice but to request a superseding order from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.”

On Tuesday, federal officials have also put the project’s approval and overall timeline into jeopardy.

According to a statement posted on Vineyard Wind’s website, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is not yet ready to issue a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project. A decision had been expected Friday to clear the way for construction to begin by the end of 2019 on the 84-turbine wind farm.

“We understand that as the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S., the Vineyard Wind project will undergo extraordinary review before receiving approvals,” Vineyard Wind posted. “As with any project of this scale and complexity, changes to the schedule are anticipated. Vineyard Wind remains resolutely committed to working with BOEM to deliver the United States’ first utility-scale wind farm and its essential benefits — an abundant supply of cost-effective clean energy combined with enormous economic and job-creation opportunities.”

To this point, Vineyard Wind has cruised along, beating out two other offshore wind projects with leases south of Martha’s Vineyard. But, more recently, the project has received considerably more pushback as the extent of the project became clear to fishermen and others.

Fourth and final hearing in Edgartown

Vineyard Wind came before the conservation commission three times prior to the July 10 hearing. The first two hearings were held on the second floor of Edgartown Town Hall in tight quarters. The second two hearings were held downstairs in the Morgan meeting room where the selectmen meet. During previous hearings, public commentary was allowed, but the final hearing was reserved for direct questions to Vineyard Wind representatives by the commission, and for deliberation among the commissioners only. 

The commissioners raised a number of concerns ranging from how frequently the cables would be monitored after installation to whether silt from trenching and dredging would spread farther than Vineyard Wind projected. Several commissioners said past testimony from fishermen had affected their thinking on the project. 

“I paid close attention to the fishermen who were here,”  commissioner Stuart Lollis said, “both last time and the time before, and what I got from that is this Muskeget Channel is somewhat unique in a couple ways. It’s a very fertile fishing ground. It’s unique in that it has very strong currents and what these currents do is that they move vast amounts of sand in a very short time. The Block Island Times, commenting on the exposed cable over there, said, ‘Shifting sands atop our bedrock are the reason for the cables becoming exposed.’ It sounds to me like we have a similar situation in the Muskeget Channel … So what can you say to allay my concerns?” 

Rachel Pachter, vice president of permitting affairs for Vineyard Wind, said there were significant contrasts between the environment in question at Block Island and the Muskeget Channel. She said ”different erosional force[s]” were at work in each location. For Block Island, beach waves were at play, she noted, where off Chappaquiddick, currents are at play. She also said the Block Island project did not execute the kind of high-precision survey of the cable path that Vineyard Wind has in the Muskeget Channel. 

She also touted the acumen of the people Vineyard Wind has assembled. “The team that makes up Vineyard Wind includes people that have worked on almost every offshore wind project, including cabling, around the world,” she said. “So there’s a lot of experience with sand waves, with channels, with various conditions that we’re working with. So there’s a lot of lessons learned that we hope to not learn here, plan to not learn here.” 

Nathaniel Mayo, Vineyard Wind policy and development manager, returned to the subject of Block Island later in the hearing. “I think the comparison to Block Island is frankly not a valid one,” he said. “It’s similar in respect that there are wind turbines involved and there’s an undersea cable involved.” He pointed out the whole U.S. offshore community has followed the problem there, and he stressed the cable problems there were confined to the beach and near shore areas, and that there are a number of “geographic and bathymetric” difference between the two sites. At Covel’s Beach on the Cape, where Vineyard Wind’s cables will make landfall, he said, they will be burying the cables very deeply to ensure nothing like what happened on Block Island occurs. Mayo also took a moment to praise Vineyard Wind’s environmental consultant, Epsilon Associates, for the expertise they brought to the project. “It might have been better if Epsilon had been part of Block Island’s project,” he said.

As he did at the last hearing, chairman Edward Vincent Jr. pressed Vineyard Wind to elaborate on its decommissioning plan — essentially how the wind energy company will remove the cables, the turbines, and other infrastructure when the project reaches the end of its lifespan.  

Pachter said it would be another two years before the decommissioning plan, which is in draft form now, is finalized.

Vincent said that would mean the commission isn’t likely to see it. 

Pachter said the financial aspects of decommissioning are “in process” with the federal government. 

“We’ve all been through Pilgrim,” commissioner Christina Brown said.

When the vote was finally taken, Brown turned out to be the only commissioner to vote to accept the application from Vineyard Wind. 

Next steps after denial

The Edgartown conservation commission has until July 18 to submit its written decision to Vineyard Wind, conservation agent Jane Varkonda told The Times.

DEP spokesman Ed Coletta told The Times the DEP could uphold Edgartown’s denial, it could overturn it, or it could overturn it with conditions attached. If either Vineyard Wind or Edgartown’s conservation commission doesn’t agree with the decision the regional office makes, they can carry the matter to the DEP’s Office of Appeals and Dispute Resolution in Boston. 

 

22 COMMENTS

  1. can anyone document negative effects on the fisheries caused by the existing cables bringing power to the Vineyard, Nantucket, or any other island ? I would like to see one documented case where an under sea power line put a fisherman out of business. or in any way affected the behavior of any species of fish or marine mammal. if I am shown empirical evidence that under sea electrical lines are detrimental to the fisheries, I will be all in to remove the cables that provide electricity to the islands, and push for 100% island generated electricity by renewable means. I would quite ok with rolling blackouts. The fishermen (and fisherwomen) are more important than a steady supply of clean energy, I guess.

      • I started to read the letter referenced in the link. You’re been captured by bureaucrats. Was the author representing Mother Nature or Corporate America?

      • George– ok — these cables carry more power, and therefore emit more emf. Your link does not answer the question.

        • Was just pointing out the significant difference in EMF between what’s proposed and what comes to the Island via Falmouth.

    • Another thing to be aware of, aside from the massive size of the cables, is this: often the project developers will tell the fishermen that they don’t mind if the fishermen keep using the areas they’ve leased for energy development. However, when it comes time to insure the project, the project’s insurer will not allow certain kinds of fishing for liability reasons.

    • The difference is no matter how detrimental the effect of existing cables, they are necessary for the comfort of Islanders. Safe to say the demand for power will increase both ashore and offshore, but offshore has a restrictor valve between it and the grid. If the Vineyard fights this hard against a wind farm, how will they respond when ice chests, backyard party lights, and AC units sputter and they must wait for a bigger cable to be laid? An entertaining thought.

  2. Can anyone clarify the sequence of events, hearings and jurisdictions that are affecting this project? Does this project need blessing from each bureaucratic entity to pass?

  3. Each year the tides are higher and the summers longer and hotter, thank you to the fools that can not see beyond their noses

    • Unfortunately, this is not the answer. These project developers use the good will and assumptions of people who care about the environment to advance their project. If you go to actual wind industry conferences (I have) you will see the discussion is primarily about tax subsidies, and construction project $$. One conference I went to there was a discussion about how an offshore grid would be beneficial because it would allow the sale of cheap coal energy from the south to flow up north without a bottleneck. The people at these conferences are speculators, investors and people who do huge construction projects. They are also oil, gas and coal people. Believe me, stopping fossil fuels is not their objective.

      • Wait, you’re against new wind because someone else, somewhere else, wants to expand coal? Let’s make a distinction here. We’re in a climate crisis and MV stands to lose more than our share due to rising seas.

        • No, I’m against wind because it won’t actually reverse climate change. And it isn’t the “someone else somewhere else” – I’m describing a situation where I heard actual people from within the wind industry discuss one of the benefits of an offshore grid being that it will allow for the transport of cheap coal energy. What does that tell you?

          When you get past the cultural narrative of wind and actually attend finance conferences where people who are in charge of these project discuss them, you get a completely different picture of what is happening

  4. Great to see at least one island institution trying to protect our greatest resource, and most fragile industry – the fisheries

  5. Terrific news and applaud the ECC for listening!!! Too many unknowns — and the idea of hyping climate change as leverage to force a decision is ludicrous —- and a proven way to create a catastrophe. Ask for more data, get input from more experts — there are multiple ways of generating renewable energy this doesn’t have to be the only way. Well done ECC!

    • islanderatheart— you say “there are multiple ways of generating renewable energy ”
      please tell us what they are and where we can place them . Keep the number of 400 megawatts in mind if you care to respond, and if you have any idea what 400 megawatts entails.

      • There’s also neighborhoods applying pressure via the MVC: “if it’s good for me but not for thee.” Imagine the outrage of Tisbury when the view across the harbor is marred by personal wind turbines on East Chop.

  6. It appears Edgartown does not have a wetlands bylaw…if so the applicant can simply get a superceding order from the DEP and win. I don’t see how this project can be profitable, but if they want to try, be my quest. This underground cable issue for fishing seems like junk science. The electric underground cables that serve the entire Island’s energy does not seem to effect fish?

    • “In every American community there are varying shades of political opinion. One of the shadiest of these is the liberals. An outspoken group on many subjects. Ten degrees to the left of center in good times. Ten degrees to the right of center if it affects them personally.” –Phil Ochs

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