Feds open comment period for Beacon Wind

1. The weather outside is frightening.
   Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow.

   Harvest energy at the source, not wait for it to grow things, and thousands and thousands of years for the the plants and animals to turn to black goo that we suck out of the earth with a straw, and light on fire. Be very careful of the smoke, it’s toxic.

2. Will BOEM also be accepting public comments at their virtual meetings or will all comments have to be submitted in writing ahead of time?

3. Once again yet another Wind Farm off our coveted coastline that will supposedly power homes in other locations and now even states owned by companies in another country. So far between just these two it’ll be 224 disgusting looking turbines. As untested as the EV alternatives wreaking havoc with major car manufacturers who bought into this EV hype before the infrastructure was in full place. Please leave our beautiful coastline, fishing industries, ecosystem, whales, birds etc alone.

   • Where is the power now generated for our location?
     Nowhere near our coveted coast?

     “power homes in other locations and now even states owned by companies in another country.” ???
     Did you mean to say companies located in other countries?
     How many of the things you own were made in other country?
     Would you be OK with the wind turbines if they were made in the USA?
     At 20% more cost?
     Vineyard Wind’s turbines are manufactured by an American company. They also manufacture jet turbines.

     The first USA EV was in 1891. EV’s have been used in industry ever since. Think lift trucks not to mention golf carts.
     “Demand for electric cars is booming, with sales expected to leap 35% this year after a record-breaking 2022”

     “manufacturers who bought into this EV hype before the infrastructure was in full place”
     The infrastructure has been in place for decades. Every house, and business, has electricity.
     The charger, wire and plug cost about the same a a nice gas stove, electric is cheaper.

     “Please leave our beautiful coastline, fishing industries, ecosystem, whales, birds etc alone.” We want our electricity made where we can’t see it…

   • Jean I totally agree that we need to protect our beautiful coast and the delicate ecosystem. You may not be aware that burning fossil fuels to generate our electricity (I will say “in the past” because I hope we stop burning fossil fuels) has already decimated many animal species. Were you aware that there are zero (and I do mean none) lobsters 🦞 left on the Connecticut shoreline? There used to be a robust lobster industry there. In my opinion it is unconscionable to continue burning fossil fuels for that reason alone. Burning fossil fuels also causes many humans to experience allergies and asthma (if you are unsure how many people are affected, walk into a Costco and see the display of allergy products!).
     Solar power (and there is more than one way to capture solar—have you been to Athens and seen a solar water heater on every roof?) is a perfect replacement for fossil fuels, except when it’s cloudy or at night. That’s when we can take advantage of wind generation to provide electricity. Our grid doesn’t have storage—if you want to use electricity at night it has to be generated at night. There are very few places in the US that provide the wind as efficiently as right here. We’re all on this planet together. Can we please help each other? This wind generation should be a welcome opportunity! I’m thrilled that we have this opportunity to save our whales and lobsters. Will you join me?

     • Save the whales!
       Eat the lobsters!!
       Will you join me???

       • 🤣

   • Jean— but, but… the 2 foreign companies
     that are going to build this are oil companies.
     Does it bother you to put their gas in your car ?
     You can be sure there are refineries, pipelines,
     truck filling stations and who knows what else
     in somebody’s backyard, so we can fill up our cars.
     Have you ever travelled south on the N.J
     turnpike near New York and seen the sprawling
     refinery there ?
     Talk about ruining a view…
     if the people of N.J can put up with that ,
     we can put up with some 2 inch high windmills
     on the horizon.

     • Keller, that is a humorous point that can’t be ignored. I think if you asked people what they would rather look at, the Refinery in Linden NJ or the wind turbines off the coast of MV, I think most would choose the view from MV but not because of how the refinery looks, it’s because getting to the refinery would be dreadful enough. It’s NJ.

       But seriously I read a comment on here about painting the windmills to blend in with the ocean while leaving the beacons of course. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me, but what do I know, I’m from Jersey.

       • Carl–I’m from Jersey also. I grew up
         on the Jersey side of Philly.
         The one good thing about that refinery
         is that it is the beginning of the end
         of the industrial wasteland as I drive south
         to visit my brothers once a year.
         But— As for painting the windmills;
         it seems that the blades are the most
         “offensive” part about this. The towers
         after all appear to be needle sized and
         about 2 inches tall. ( the closest ones anyway.)
         The blades are silhouetted against the sky.
         The sky always changes… if they were
         painted “sky blue” they might be less visible
         on a “blue sky” day, but they would really stand
         out on cloudy days. I was down there once
         on a “clear” day with some scattered clouds.
         They were actually not visible because of
         the greyness of the clouds further south
         on the horizon.
         As for the lights– I agree, they are much
         brighter than I had thought they would be.
         But I have been assured by the people
         in their office (151 beach road v.h) that when
         construction is complete the Parasol system
         will be activated.
         https://newatlas.com/sensor-lights-wind-turbine/30785/

     • How many gas stations will go away when everyone drives an electric car and uses their own solar panels to run their cars?
       That will save the views around town.

4. First of all, the windmills off the south shore of Martha Vineyard put an end to the view and beauty of being on an island. Not to mention the light show they emanate at night, unfortunately gives it a metropolitan appearance. I object to any construction of off offshore windmills that are visible from land.However, if that can’t be achieved at least paint the windmills a color scheme that will camouflage their appearance as much as possible. Obviously warning buoys and restricted low level flights should be put in placed regardless of color. Finally, I hope they have done a significant study to make sure that a project of this nature will not disturb or destroy the marine life.

   • John, burning fossil fuels destroys marine life. When fossil fuels are burned it releases CO2 which creates a chemical layer in our atmosphere which allows sunlight to pass through. The earth is warmed, but unlike in times before we used the volume of fossil fuels we use today, that chemical layer doesn’t allow the heat to bounce away from the earth. That warming has caused our oceans to warm. It has caused ice packs to melt. There used to be glaciers in mountains all over the western US. They are mostly gone. They may never return. When the ice pack in Greenland was melting it caused icy water to flow into the relatively warm ocean water and froze everything in its path, both plants and animals. It is inconceivable that we would allow this destruction to continue because our eyes 👀 don’t want to see a field of windmills.

   • First of all, the oil production platforms off the Gulf Coast put an end to the view and beauty of the Gulf. Not to mention the light show they emanate at night.
     I object to the means of production of the power I consume to be visible to me.
     Please camouflage your Katama place as much as possible.
     All forms of marine energy extraction disturb or destroy marine life.

5. When will the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) open our waters to the production of hydrocarbons?

6. We are so fortunate for this opportunity to expand wind generation!

7. As you may be aware, the recently installed 10 wind turbines from the Vineyard Wind project have already introduced light pollution due to the blinking red lights associated with their presence. If the Beacon Wind Project is approved, an additional almost 250 blinking red lights will be added, creating a substantial visual impact off the south shore.

   Considering the potential approval of other wind projects in the pipeline, the cumulative effect could result in over 1,000 blinking lights resembling a vast city offshore. This scenario would significantly contribute to light pollution, adversely affecting both the local environment and the quality of life for residents and visitors.

   The implementation of ADLS is a proven solution to mitigate this issue. By synchronizing and dimming the lights based on air traffic, ADLS can substantially reduce the visual impact and light pollution associated with offshore wind projects.

   I respectfully request that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management mandates the inclusion of ADLS in the Beacon Wind Project as a requirement for approval. This proactive measure will not only address the immediate concern of light pollution but also set a precedent for future offshore wind projects to prioritize environmental and aesthetic considerations.

   • Kirk– Those lighting systems are already mandated for
     all offshore wind farms.

8. NOAA in its newly released finalized strategy plan for effects of OSW relative to its impacts on the NARWl , has come out and said it wants to be more responsible with the agency ‘s decision making.
   With this said , here’s my take on being responsible should be. Let vineyard wind 1 complete it’s project and put a temporary hold on the rest of development for now and use Vineyard Wind 1 as a control in this experiment. We cannot use any European windfarms as the the control , as the surrounding species are not the same as compared to here.
   NOAA also admits the effects on the NARWL population is indeed real from OSW construction and operation.
   Let’s all stop thinking we’re right or thinking others are wrong and really think about this responsibly.
   https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dz1cD4DJjwJ3aJSY8

9. Kirk, it’s great that you bring up light pollution. When we look at the earth from far away we see exactly where cities and highways lie. Your argument is that light pollution is unattractive. Research has shown that insects, birds, and humans are impacted by light pollution. It may be that we have fewer fireflies because of light pollution. Light pollution reduces the ability to see the stars through a telescope. Let’s all of us turn off our porch lights, do not invest in pest-control lighting, and ask our cities to turn off street lights.

   • Mary– About 5 years ago, I noticed that the lights
     in the parking lot of the V.H post office were on
     24/ 7 I spoke with the postmaster and asked her to
     at least turn them off during daylight hours. At first,
     I talked to her once a week. Then twice a week.
     I then told her I would be talking to her every day
     until they were turned off during the day. It took about
     3 months for her to comply with that simple request.
     Of course, they are bright white lights that are
     now on all night. Perhaps people who are concerned
     about light pollution and the visibility of the Milky way
     could try to do something about the real sources of
     light pollution.
     Parking lots, businesses and large houses for starters.

     • Thank you! I appreciate your efforts!

10. Don,

    If ADLS systems are already required they are not being used on the windmills currently installed. Their red lights are blinking all night long. If they were ADLS they would only light up when a plane approaches.

    This subject was brought up in Vineyard Wind application process and they were not required to install an ADLS system.

    • Kirk—I get a little tired that I have me keep explaining that
      the lights have to be on during construction and the ADLS
      system will become operational after construction.
      Perhaps you think I am just pulling that out of thin air.
      As far as I can tell, that is what the majority of people
      are doing here.
      The door is often open at their office at 151 Beach road.
      It would be helpful if a few people actually walked in
      and asked real questions and got real answers from real
      people who who know.

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