Applaud the push for accountability on offshore wind

In this craft of community journalism, a big part of our job is to hold our local officials accountable. 

And in doing our job, our reporters have been questioning local leaders on the Island about where they are in calling for more supervision of and accountability from the multinational corporate partnerships that have erected Vineyard Wind. The massive project stands as the first large-scale offshore wind farm approved in the U.S., with some 62 turbine towers that stand up to 853 feet high at the tip of the enormous blades that spin in the distance. These towers fit the dictionary definition of the height of skyscrapers, and they blight the once-pristine views of the waters off the south side of the Island. There is also an array of other enormous offshore windfarms, a total of nine separate planned projects, some visible from the Island in the waters off the neighboring states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. 

At night, some of these towers are all lit up with warning lights for low-flying aircraft, which some  Island residents liken to seeing O’Hare International Airport across what was once a breathtakingly beautiful seascape. 

We plan to stay tough in our reporting on these wind farms and the corporations that stand to profit handsomely from them, as well as the local, state, and federal officials who we expect to provide adequate oversight and a coordinated approach over their construction and maintenance in the decades ahead. Focusing on accountability should not be confused with somehow being opposed to wind power or renewable energy. We believe the opposite, that renewable energy sources are essential for the future of a planet imperiled by climate change. But we also fear the current lack of accountability could undermine and potentially even squander the impact of renewable energy on the Island. This concern is what drives these hard questions:

Where are the jobs for Islanders that were promised? Where are the reductions in energy cost that were projected? Was the visible sight of the turbines from the Aquinnah Cliffs clearly presented by the developers, or are they in fact larger than what we were told they would be? What is the true impact of these farms on our local fishing grounds? Who will be responsible for — and fund — the cleanup of these massive structures when they grow obsolete? These are questions we will not stop asking. 

But as tough as we try to be in our questioning, we also want to be sure we applaud those Island officials who are starting to wake up to the enormity of these projects and the community benefits agreements that some thought were intended as a framework for oversight. 

Last week, Chilmark select board member Jeffrey Maida proved he is one of those leaders worthy of a shoutout. He seems to be one of the first local elected officials to rise from a collective slumber by sounding an alarm to call out the layered international corporations and partnerships and the more local entities, such as Vineyard Power, that are responsible for these wind farms. 

“This is just the beginning of trying to open up the truth about everything. We need answers. It’s just bizarre that we don’t know more,” said Maida, a landscaper and former manager of the Net Result fish store, who was elected in April last year by a slim margin. 

As our staff reporter Hayley Duffy, who covers the “energy and oceans” beat for us, reported last week, Chilmark took a first official step on the Island to hold the offshore wind industry more accountable. It is a long-overdue move that follows in the wake of a more proactive governmental approach in Nantucket, which has pushed for better communication and compensation from offshore wind officials this summer.

The Chilmark select board decided last Tuesday to reach out to other towns about collaborating on actions similar to Nantucket, which has created legal settlements and demands for increased dialogue and participation. The town’s interests are beyond just Vineyard Wind 1, as Maida pointed out, and include all other wind farms off the coast of the Island.

Maida presented the agenda item to the board, and said the Island needs better communication from offshore wind officials for projects near the Vineyard, and possibly even funds for emergency situations in the wake of the blade failure last summer.

At the Chilmark town offices during the select board meeting, Maida said, “I think it’s real important that we have some money somewhere for cleanup if something happens.” 

If the tide or wind had been different, the broken blade debris could have easily washed up on Vineyard beaches, Maida explained, saying, “I think we need to think down the road that something could seriously happen, and it’s going to cost a ton of money to clean it up.”

The board is also looking to review a community agreement reached with Vineyard Wind, which was the first of its kind in the offshore wind industry. The agreement has been the subject of some criticism among Islanders for having a conflict of interest, as the group that negotiated the agreement on behalf of the Island receives payment from Vineyard Wind. Vineyard Power receives in excess of $180,000 annually from Vineyard Wind, based on an initial review of documents. 

As Duffy has reported, earlier this summer Nantucket received $10.5 million in a settlement from GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the Haliade-X blade that broke last summer, spewing debris that washed up on Nantucket beaches. In the aftermath of that, Nantucket publicized a list of 15 demands to Vineyard Wind officials after town officials said the developer didn’t meet expectations set forth in Nantucket’s community benefits agreement (CBA), also known as the Good Neighbor Agreement, signed in 2020.

Some of the demands made by Nantucket, on the basis of its Good Neighbor Agreement, which has the town as a party to the contract, are the establishment of communication protocols, an escrow fund for potential cleanup costs, and public input on new emergency response plans. The town of Nantucket and Vineyard Wind officials started talks in late August, and plan to reconvene tomorrow, Friday, to continue negotiations.

Vineyard Wind is the only offshore wind project to establish a CBA with the Vineyard. Reporting by The Times pushed to make it public in August, a full 10 years after the original document was signed by Vineyard Wind and Vineyard Power officials, although it is noticeable that town officials did not sign the agreement. The Vineyard’s CBA was negotiated through the nonprofit Vineyard Power and outlines obligations for the developer and nonprofit. It arranges for Vineyard Power to support and advocate for the Vineyard Wind 1 project in the community in return for a fund and customized benefits for the Island, such as energy savings for low-income ratepayers, investments in solar and battery-storage projects on-Island, and modernization of the Tisbury working waterfront, as well as obligates the nonprofit to maintain communication with the towns, fisheries stakeholders, and tribal communities.

“Vineyard Power has a conflict of interest –– at least clearly there is an appearance of

one. And I think we have to highlight that and start asking questions,” Maida told The Times.

We couldn’t agree more, and we applaud Maida and all those who will not just ask tough and necessary questions, but who will push hard for more answers.