Updated Dec. 20
Public sentiment on offshore wind developments in southerly waters off Martha’s Vineyard is shifting, with challenges mounting against the industry and controversy hitting home for Islanders.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) have been outspoken critics of the offshore wind industry, and amplified those calls last week by supporting a lawsuit against Revolution Wind brought by a Rhode Island group.
Nantucket officials over the past several months have been dealing with the aftermath of a turbine blade fracturing and washing debris onto their shores, and town leaders have considered legal action against Vineyard Wind.
The latest to raise a concern: Martha’s Vineyard Commission Executive Director Adam Turner is calling on the state’s highest elected official to help the Island shoulder the burden from offshore wind developments, noting both visual and environmental impacts.
“There are approximately 1,000 turbines permitted currently,” reads a letter written by Turner on Dec. 12 to Gov. Maura Healey. “The vast majority are proposed to be located directly off the southern and western shores of our Island. Already, with only a small fraction constructed, they have affected the visual quality of our shores. Already we have absorbed environmental impacts.”
Turner voices a solid consensus on the Island that pursuing alternative energy sources is essential for fighting climate change, but he also told The Times in a follow-up interview he strongly felt Martha’s Vineyard should be better compensated for having to deal with projects that will power not only the rest of Massachusetts, but other states, including Connecticut and Rhode Island.
“It is our view [that] the residents of the [Vineyard] have shouldered a tremendous burden for the rest of the state and region,” the letter reads. “The residents realize that they must do their share, but it is a fact that most of the turbines servicing our state can be viewed from our shores. As an Island of great visual beauty, this has impacted us.”
Turner requested in the letter that the state consider providing an electricity rate subsidy in recognition of these “sacrifices.”
Turner told The Times he hasn’t received official communication from the governor’s office regarding the proposal yet. He also plans to reach out to the state legislators representing Martha’s Vineyard at Beacon Hill, State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Provincetown, and State Rep.-elect Thomas Moakley, D-Falmouth.
He said what was being requested wasn’t unheard-of, pointing to how the state has made policies in the past to direct the Department of Public Utilities, the state agency that regulates electricity rates, to implement electric vehicle rebates.
“We’re pretty small,” Turner said. “Even if they gave relief, it wouldn’t be a lot [for the state].”
Healey’s administration is still reviewing Turner’s letter.
“We value the engagement of Martha’s Vineyard residents and collaboration with local officials,” Maria Hardiman, spokesperson for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, told the Times. “We are currently reviewing the letter by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Offshore wind is creating good local jobs, growing our economy, and helping Massachusetts transition away from polluting fossil fuel plants. We strongly encourage the development of community benefits agreements to ensure that local communities directly benefit from this transition, including job creation, economic support, and funding for local projects.”
While Turner is still in favor of pursuing offshore wind development, there has been pushback against the offshore wind industry, following a Vineyard Wind turbine blade fracturing in July.
The Vineyard Wind blade incident had halted the installation of turbine blades for the project. Installation of turbine blades resumed on Saturday.
Some Vineyard officials called for the developers to be held accountable for the debris that scattered on local beaches. Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), sent a letter in July to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Kevin M. Sligh Sr., calling for a moratorium on offshore wind projects in the U.S. until more research can be done on the impact of the projects. Earlier this month, she and William (“Buddy”) Vanderhoop, a member of the tribe who runs a charter fishing business, filed witness statements for a lawsuit by Rhode Island–based group Green Oceans against the Revolution Wind farm.
There have also been concerns about ethics complaints swirling around Tisbury Town Hall. Outgoing town administrator Jay Grande is facing an ethics complaint after getting approval from the town’s select board to train for an engineering firm that has helped Vineyard Wind with landside developments; two zoning board members have also recently recused themselves from hearings that have a connection to the development; and a member of the select board is also an employee of Avangrid, which owns several offshore wind projects planned for development south of the Island.
Concerns about the offshore wind industry mounted in other places as well. The Cape Cod Times reported there was a citizens’ petition that called for the Barnstable town council to revisit its agreement with Avangrid Renewables on its New England Wind 1 project, alleging a lack of transparency in the process — a request that was shot down by the council. On Nantucket, officials have been mulling over how to renegotiate the “good neighbor agreement” — which brought in $16 million to mitigate potential impacts caused by the turbines — it signed with Vineyard Wind in 2020. The Nantucket Current reported that the Maria Mitchell Association, a signatory to the agreement, had backed out of it in October, stating, “The impact on our night skies and our island community was not something we could support.”
So are Martha’s Vineyard communities also considering whether the Island should back out of its agreement with Vineyard Wind? Not publicly, at least according to Richard Andre, president and director of the local nonprofit Vineyard Power. “[There’s] a lot of support for the project; a lot of support for offshore wind,” Andre said.
Towns on Martha’s Vineyard did not individually sign their own versions of the good neighbor agreement, although Aquinnah was compensated for the impact from offshore wind projects like Revolution Wind and Vineyard Wind.
Instead, Vineyard Power entered into a first-of-its-kind Community Benefit Agreement in 2015 with Vineyard Wind, to bring in financial benefits for the Island, with an advisory board consisting of members appointed by the towns’ select boards.
Out of the agreement came the $7.5 million Resiliency and Affordability Program (RAP) fund, which supported the development of solar power and battery storage at some of the Island’s facilities deemed by towns to be critical and in need of improved energy resiliency for events like power outages. Vineyard Power committed up to $1.547 million toward subsidizing the cost of batteries at locations including the Tisbury Council on Aging, the West Tisbury library, and the Martha’s Vineyard Airport’s wastewater facility.
Additionally, while there isn’t an electricity rate subsidy for every Islander through the agreement, the RAP fund does provide savings opportunities for Islanders making less than 60 percent of the state median income — an income of less than $79,740 for a household of three, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities’ Home Energy Assistance Program. This includes directly sending checks to qualifying residents who signed up for the program, and monetary support for joining a community solar power source, and Andrade said the various programs could add up to a savings of up to 40 percent for a ratepayer.
Andre also said donations have been made every six months, and so far, $240,000 has been sent out to Islanders, and roughly 460 Vineyard households have benefited from the programs.
Vineyard Wind developers forecast the project will save ratepayers across Massachusetts $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation. However, Andre pointed out, there is currently no power being generated by offshore wind in the state, so spikes to the electricity bill seen by some Vineyarders would have been caused by another reason.
Andre also said Vineyard Power signed Community Benefit Agreements with the upcoming New England Wind 1 and New England Wind 2 projects, both owned by Avangrid. Including Vineyard Wind, Andre said it is estimated the agreements will collectively bring in $30 million worth of benefits to the Island. “There will be additional funds,” he said.
Andre said Vineyard Power will host its first open house that will be open to any questions the public may have regarding the nonprofit’s programs, or the offshore wind industry, on Jan. 15 at its office on 151 Beach Road, Suite 1A ,in Vineyard Haven.
Turner told The Times he is aware of Vineyard Power’s programs, but wants a “broader application” of subsidizing Islanders’ energy costs than what is currently provided by the nonprofit.
Turner also shared his concerns with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Dec. 12, saying that he has communicated his concerns with the state. He noted that he wasn’t certain how successful the venture would be.
“I don’t think it’s fair for us to shoulder the capacity of the state and commonwealth and not get some recognition … it has had an effect on the visual and other things [on] our shores,” he said during the meeting.
Updated with clarifications from Vineyard Power.
