Edgartown officials say that debris from the broken Vineyard Wind turbine blade may have come ashore on the Island on Thursday evening. Vineyard Wind has not confirmed that the debris was actually from the blade.
James Hagerty, Edgartown town administrator, received a call from a Vineyard Wind representative Thursday night at 7 pm that some foam had potentially washed ashore around Wasque Point.
He put the offshore wind developer and the Trustees of Reservation — managers of Wasque — in communication with each other. He also spoke with town parks commissioners, who’ve so far found nothing on South Beach.
“During aerial surveillance, GE spotted potential debris at Wasque Point. The Trustees’ staff is cooperating with GE and Vineyard Wind to ensure that any debris located on our beaches is properly retrieved,” Darci Schofield, Island director for the Trustees, said in a statement to the Times. “We ask beachgoers to use great care and alert our rangers to any possible debris they may spot on the beach or in the water. We continue to patrol the beaches searching for debris. The safety of our visitors and of the shorebirds we protect are our utmost priorities.”
GE Vernova is the company contracted to construct the turbines.
The Edgartown Parks Department has gone back and forth and surveyed the area and have yet to find anything.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen,” Hagerty said. If debris does wash ashore, Hagerty said they’d make a judgment call that might be similar to Nantucket’s decision to shut down their south shore beaches for a day.
“There’s no reason to shut down anything right now,” Hagerty added.
A spokesperson for GE Vernova issued a statement to The Times, but did not clarify if the debris found Friday was from Vineyard Wind.
“GE Vernova’s top priority is safety and minimizing the impact of this event on the communities surrounding the Vineyard Wind farm in Massachusetts,” the statement read. “We continue to work around the clock to enhance mitigation efforts in collaboration with Vineyard Wind and all relevant state, local and federal authorities. We are working with urgency to complete our root cause analysis of this event.”
Latest on turbine blade
The section of Vineyard Wind blade that fractured on Saturday has fallen to the ocean floor, Nantucket officials confirmed Friday morning.
The blade, made of a fiberglass shell and foam interior, is being monitored and will be recovered “in due course,” a note from the town states.
The latest follows a tough week for Vineyard Wind and the nascent offshore wind industry off the Northeast United States. It started on Saturday evening when one of the 350-turbine blades fractured. Federal officials are investigating the cause of the damage, but Vineyard Wind has since released few details of what happened.
Debris from the initial fracture eventually washed ashore on Nantucket, leading the town to close several beaches on Tuesday. The beaches were reopened on Wednesday, and then on Thursday morning, Vineyard Wind reported that a significant portion of the turbine blade had dislodged and that more debris was expected to land on Nantucket shores.
On Friday, the town of Nantucket issued a statement — calling the damaged blade a “crisis” — that aside from confirming that the blade had sunk to the ocean floor, the town also said that Vineyard Wind is developing a plan to test water quality around the island.
The offshore wind company is also working on setting up a process for financial claims, the town of Nantucket reported.
Vineyard Wind crews — which total 56 people as of Thursday — are expected to continue removing debris along the south and north shores on Nantucket, in advance of a triathlon on Saturday.
Criticism intensifies
Meanwhile, criticism of the Vineyard Wind and GE continues to ramp up. As The MV Times reported Thursday, residents and business owners grilled executives at a Nantucket select board meeting.
More locally, some Islanders have had enough. Johnny and Otto Osmers, brothers and second-generation commercial fishermen out of Menemsha and Oak Bluffs, protested in front of the company’s building in Vineyard Haven Friday afternoon.
They wanted to stand in solidarity with Nantucketers and show that though the company is called Vineyard Wind, not all Islanders support offshore wind development.
If all the South Shore beaches were closed here, as they were for at least a day in Nantucket, people would be outraged, they said.
To the brothers, offshore wind isn’t green. “We’re worried about all the environmental impacts,” Johnny Osmers said. “A lot doesn’t seem that green when you do the research.”
”We’re not climate change deniers,” he added. As commercial fishermen, they see the effects of climate change first-hand, including warmer waters.
But they think there are better ways to get green energy, and that a lot of things were overlooked with this project. There wasn’t a thorough look into long-term impacts, Johnny Osmers said.
At least four cars honked in support of the protesters, one yelling out of his truck, “Yeah, F*** them.”
When asked what they thought about Friday morning’s update that the rest of the blade fell to the seafloor, Osmers said, “My question is, what are they going to do to remove the blade from the seafloor?”
Their sign read: “No more [wind farms] time to go fiberglass is toxic! Stop blaming fishermen, over 80 dead whales and sea turtles.”
They were joined at around 12:45 pm by more protesters.
State officials have been critical as well. State rep. Dylan Fernandes — noting that turbines have been in operation successfully around the world — told The Times that the incident is deeply concerning and that the development should be suspended until GE and Vineyard Wind make assurances that the fracture won’t happen again.
Some state republicans have questioned if fractures could become more common, calling the recent incident a “catastrophic failure,” State House News Service reported.
Meantime, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to advise mariners to stay outside of the Vineyard Wind area. A warning issued on Friday says that two large pieces of debris are floating in nearby waters.
Sam Houghton contributed to this report.
Yay! Good for them, keep up the protest!
The long time islanders I’ve spoken with feel there is no point speaking up
about their concerns because pro wind people don’t want to listen .
True
Do you remember when the Island was great?
When we tried to to ban the turbine blades in jet engines?
The kind that fall off leading to the dumping of fuel.
We have jets, we will have turbines.
I have spoken to Islanders who are pro wind.
You can see their comments in these pages.
The pro wind people are listening, to the world.
The world is pro wind.
These wind turbines will be around longer than Plymouth Nuclear.
How much is that costing to shutdown?
We need more electricity.
Where and how should it be generated.
You don’t care as long it is not in your backyard?
The playground of the rich and famous.
Shakespeare wrote a play about this nonsense, “much ado about nothing“! This strikes me as another form of NIMBYism
Every form of energy production has drawbacks. I would rather deal with wind turbines than oil spills, which are much more toxic than fiberglass.
Kathleen, I protest gasoline. Stop selling gasoline on the island. It’s much more harmful than fiberglass blades in the ocean.
“Stop selling gasoline on the island.”
Many Islanders (and Americans elsewhere) cannot afford new cars and would be left unable to get to work, the doctor, the grocery store, etc. They’re already struggling to afford the gasoline. Purchasing an EV is not possible for a lot of folks.
Katie, the transition to electric cars could be going faster than it is. It is a transition. First we had a few here and a few there and now there are electric cars everywhere, but not everyone wants one yet. It isn’t all about cost.
Some people are afraid to get an electric car because they were lied to and told there isn’t enough infrastructure. It’s highly unlikely that anyone on the island would drive enough in one day to need more than a charge from their very own home charger. Off island there are charging stations everywhere. Around $5 to “fill up” with electricity.
A used Tesla in Boston available for $15,600. 2013 model S.
There are many, many more available. You don’t have to be rich to enjoy an electric car.
Electric cars can last about 70 years and millions of miles.
Mary, I agree that electric cars have their place in helping to save fuel, and I’m glad the options and ease of use are improving. It’s a step in the right direction. I was just responding to the idea of cutting off gasoline when some can’t afford to make the switch, even if they want to.
While EVs may be an economical investment in the long run, folks would still need to come up with the monthly payments. Sadly, I know of too many on MV who are struggling with their grocery bills and trying to cut back elsewhere. Repairing cars they already own is a hardship.
Katie, most people buy a new (new to them) car every several years. When people are aware that operating an electric car is nearly free, they will be more likely to choose an electric car, rather than if they believe all the lies from the oil companies.
And to your point that repairing cars they already own is a hardship—electric cars have 20 moving parts compared to gasoline cars having 100 moving parts. That means operating an electric car will reduce the need for repairs.
If you have a car repair shop, get ready for finding a new career.
And the idea of cutting gasoline bills is really upsetting to Putin and the conservative oil barons. That’s why they keep telling lies and it’s why they hired a convicted felon to represent them.
Yes you are correct. Used electric cars are very affordable. It’s called supply and demand. There’s a huge supply of them because owners are dumping them as soon as they can and there’s virtually no demand for them.
John — a new 2024 Tesla model 3 has a sticker
price of just under $40,000
The chevy volt goes for $35,400
The very popular rav 4 goes for $52,000 new.
John, over 445,000 cars sold last quarter doesn’t sound like no demand to me. Whoever told you that factoid is imagining things. And the oil industry is only too happy to spread lies about electric cars because they are hoping for a lot of people to not buy electric cars. Transportation costs will approach zero dollars when our society has switched. It’s one of the reasons the Chinese are moving forward quickly as a society, to electric transportation powered with solar and wind energy. The Chinese will save in the neighborhood of two trillion per year! Wonder how much real estate on MV, in Boston, or NYC that would buy?
Finances are relative. What is affordable to one person is out of reach for the next. Folks who are struggling to eat cannot buy a car, new or used, every few years.
$16,000 or $17,000 may be a great price for someone who has been able to save up. For those living paycheck to paycheck, like 66% of Americans do at present, it’s still a tremendous amount of money.
Denying access to what is currently a necessity—gasoline—won’t help those two out of three Americans to thrive. It would only breed more resentment towards environmental efforts.
When considering public policy, we have to look at all financial situations and needs, not just our own.
To the reporter, as the world struggles for power that is not coal, atomic, hydroelectric, oil or gas, it would have been interesting if you had asked the osmer boys what method they think is best to produce power.
I understand the fear of the unknown. Robert Fulton first steamboat broke in half and sank.
People thought steam trains would go so fast people couldn’t breath.
I am also sitting here in Valdez Alaska writing this and let me tell you, however awful you might think that wind turbines are and how devastating fiberglass and foam is in the ocean you ain’t seen nothing.
Watch where the movie “vanishing pearls” and get back to me
I’m with the Osmers brothers.
Thank you fisherman, please let us island people know the next time you picket vineyard wind, I am sure more island people would like to show up to express their many concerns, when do we have a town hall on this like Nantucket
In fiberglass boats?.
That burn what?
I have seen this all to often. Some possible false reports, some minor incidents, and the protestors snowball the project. There are millions of fiberglass boat hulls traveling at speeds over 30 mph right now all over the world, and we are worried about one partial wind tower blade, which is less than the size of one small boat hull? I just want to see the real science that wind towers are harmful to sea life, before I cast my vote. I do know this, anything that reduces carbon is helping climate change. Be open minded, and wait for some real proof.
There are many sound minded people who believe in renewable energy that have many concerns that offshore wind farms are being built by foreign, for profit companies, which are likely to be more protected from American courts. Having an arm fall off before any serious storm has even struck does little to allay these concerns. Real, on the water reports from Vineyard fishermen with high tech fish scanning sonar indicate the pile driving has a severe effect on pelagic fish and whales. Believe whatever you want, but I’ll go with the guys who have been there and seen it. And what is the story with mariners not being allowed to use the area. Did some Dutch company actually buy our ocean?
for profit….
“Real, on the water reports from Vineyard fishermen with high tech fish scanning sonar indicate the pile driving has a severe effect on pelagic fish and whales.”
How does high tech fish scanning sonar indicate the effects of pile driving on pelagic fish and whales?
Have the Vineyard fishermen reported their findings?
Have they been peer reviewed?
What are the effects of Vineyard fisherman on pelagic fish and whales?
And what was the story about mariners not being able to use the waters around the Plymouth Nuclear Plant, did they buy the ocean?
Are you ok with dumping radioactive waste in the ocean?
Well, Albert, here’s how. The fishermen were passing through the wind farm and observed whales so they slowed to look for tuna and marked a number of them. There was no pile driving taking place. While considering setting out lines, pile driving began. The whales left post haste and the tuna went with them. They reported it to me, they are my peers, and I believe them. Spin it how you want, but it is the only first hand account I have heard from someone who was actually there.
I love to eat fish and appreciate the efforts of fishermen. However, there has been so much harm done to ocean life by the efforts of fishermen. Suddenly the loss of blade in the ocean and the turbines are the culprit of all that’s wrong with ocean policy. You mention sonar on fishing boats. That has been in use for decades. Let’s not forget that it’s used to find fish to harvest them. That, impact of those vessels long with fishing nets and huge ocean going vessels with tremendous propellers churning the water, finally the effect of collisions ocean life have with those vessels. These have much more of an effect on ocean life than a propeller that accidentally broke off and fell into the ocean.
Hear, hear! Well put, Chris.
We also do immense harm to all life in our oceans by the way we are forced by State regulations to deal with our wastewater: to flush it into our groundwater, highly contaminated with nitrogen (from our urine), which drains into our coastal ponds, where that nitrogen pollution cause vast algae infestations which end up killing much of the life in the ponds, which serve as the nurseries for much of the baby fish that then become the bigger fish in our oceans. For economical and highly effective filter methods to stop that nitrogen pollution, go to http://www.solvivagreen.com
John Packer, wow are you a hypocrite, are you still selling fuel and taking a hand out from vineyard wind?
Suzie, why the name calling when he is trying to explain something he sees with his own eyes? 👀
Suzie, are you buying fuel?
From a hypocrite?
Now that’s a good one, Albert!
I have the right as an American citizen to buy fossil fuels, as everyone else does, for my stove, lawn mower, car, and outboard. I can’t wait for Donald J. Trump to win the next election, shut down offshore wind, become energy independence and drill baby drill, nuclear fusion research, before we destroy our ocean by foreign entities
suzie– I wonder if you know that the United states is producing
more oil than at anytime in it’s history.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MCRFPUS2&f=M
I also wonder if you know that the United states is producing
more oil than any other country currently
produces or has ever produced.
https://www.worldometers.info/oil/oil-production-by-country/
I think we’re energy independent already.
And by the way, Vineyard Wind 1 is American owned.
But built by a Dutch company, who the American company will blame for any problems. They, of course, will be back in Europe, beyond the reach of American courts.
It’s 2024.
America is all powerful.
Comments are closed.