To the Editor:
Good news on the climate change front is a scarce commodity. That’s why the recent announcement of the final permitting of the Vineyard Wind 1 project is such a welcome milestone.
In 2020, the Vineyard Sustainable Energy Committee developed targets for the Island to achieve a 100 percent renewable energy system. An aspirational, nonbinding warrant article was to have appeared on each town’s annual town meeting warrant. The pandemic interfered, but two towns (Aquinnah and West Tisbury) have now passed this article, and the Dukes County Commission and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission have adopted the same targets. Tisbury, Edgartown, and Chilmark will vote on the warrant article this spring.
The way forward is to electrify key elements of our energy system — transportation and home heating — over the next two decades. But our success also depends on “greening the grid.” That process is gaining momentum, and will be further accelerated by recently enacted Massachusetts climate legislation.
Offshore wind is the primary renewable energy resource here in the Northeast. The Vineyard Wind 1 project will be the first “utility-scale” offshore wind installation in North America. In addition to its role in greening the grid, the project will also make a strong contribution to the Island’s economy over the next decade, and into the future.
So let’s take a moment to celebrate a truly transformational event!
Rob Hannemann
Chilmark
