When news broke that a turbine blade fractured earlier this summer — with foam and fiberglass landing on beaches as far away as Rhode Island and Provincetown — the outcry on Martha’s Vineyard felt muted.
Aside from a few fishermen holding signs outside Vineyard Wind’s offices in Vineyard Haven, there was no public outrage at select board meetings or from elected officials, at least none that we saw documented or communicated.
On our sister island of Nantucket, there was a clear and unified message: This egregious accident was not acceptable. Nantucket’s select board held weekly, hourly meetings where they grilled representatives from the offshore wind industry and state officials; they demanded better protections and safeguards to make sure nothing like this happened again; and they have considered legal action and renegotiating a so-called “good neighbor agreement” reached with Vineyard Wind before construction began.
Arguably, the broken blade had the biggest impact on Nantucket. Beaches in the peak of summer were forced to close down by the debris. The frustration among Nantucket islanders is unquestionable.
But where is that voice of frustration from our Martha’s Vineyard officials? With a change in the current, the debris very well could have landed on our shores. And with more and more developments planned — there are 1,000 turbines already permitted — could those fractures become more commonplace? And beyond these faulty blades, there are questions about the structures themselves, and their impact on fishing. And what happens when these enormous structures weaken over the decades, and what guarantees do we have that Vineyard Wind will maintain and, if necessary, remove them if they become unstable?
We deserve clear answers to these questions.
The vast majority of the Island favors alternative energy and supports the idea of wind power, but that is separate from the question of holding this enormous, international corporation accountable for the promises it has made.
There is a growing sense that frustrations are surfacing on our Island.
Leaders of the Wampaonag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) have been some of the strongest voices calling for a moratorium on offshore wind development off our coast, and accountability for the offshore wind industry. As we reported last week, leaders have supported a lawsuit in Rhode Island against one of the largest and closest offshore wind developments to the Vineyard: Revolution Wind. Tribal members say that some of their sacred rituals have been — and will be further — impacted by the development, and they worry about fishing grounds and marine mammals.
Fishermen on the Island have long been outspoken about the impacts of offshore wind, but more have come forward, and it’s not just fishermen, to discuss their frustrations in our newsroom. A group called Green Oceans that is spearheading the lawsuit against Revolution Wind has helped coalesce a small group of Islanders, attracting new members to join their cause.
Some Islanders say that they have questions they don’t feel have been answered: What is the direct impact of turbines and underground cables on shellfish? Will these blades fracture again? And they worry about the industrialization of the ocean, a sacred place.
There are also concerns over conflict of interest: a number of town officials in Tisbury have connections to Vineyard Wind, some stronger than others. One select board member works for Avangrid, the developers of the offshore wind project; the town administrator was approved during a nonpublic hearing to take a job with an engineering firm that has helped build Vineyard Wind’s offices on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven; and local regulators overseeing Vineyard Wind housing projects have only recently revealed some of their connections to the developers.
Likely the most significant call for something substantive came from one of the higher-ranking officials on the Island last week. Adam Turner, the head of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, publicly called for better compensation to the Island for hosting the offshore wind turbines off our coast. In correspondence with the governor of Massachusetts, Turner noted that the Vineyard has had to pay for the visual impacts of the turbines, and now environmental impacts. He is calling specifically for a better adjustment to energy bills for residents. Currently, through an agreement with Vineyard Power, the Island has received a substantial grant package that will help produce renewable energy on the Island; some residents can also get some 30 percent back on their electricity bills through Vineyard Wind.
But is that enough to compensate for the decades — even generations — that the turbines will be off our coast?
What is missing on the Island is a unified voice that could help answer that question. On Nantucket, where they have been successful, there is one select board that answers to all the Island residents.
To help get answers to the Island, we are advocating for the six Island towns to come together to find a representative or a set of elected officials who could act as a sort of liaison or ombudsman for the Vineyard and offshore wind developers. They would have the ability to host public forums and open houses where fishermen and others can bring their concerns and questions. They can bridge the current black hole of information between community news organizations and developers, and help bring answers to the community. They can petition the state and federal government for better compensation.
Offshore wind has its obvious and important benefits for all of us, but the Vineyard shouldn’t be caused to suffer, or muted in voicing concerns about its impact.
