Brian Willis: Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sierra Club staff, volunteers, and members began submitting comments and testifying before the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today on the agency’s supplement to its draft Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Vineyard Wind project, which is planned to be built off the coast of Massachusetts. The SEIS also analyzes the impacts of developing offshore wind projects along the U.S. Eastern seaboard.
The Sierra Club is supportive of BOEM’s preferred proposal to distribute Vineyard Wind’s wind turbine array to 1 nautical mile spacing with an east-west orientation. The arrangement of turbines in this orientation would allow vessels to travel unobstructed and help to avoid navigational impacts, according to both BOEM and the U.S. Coast Guard.The untapped offshore wind resource along the U.S. Eastern seaboard is one of the most powerful in the world, and is within reach of densely populated areas where energy demands are high and new resource options are few. The offshore wind industry could create 83,000 jobs by 2030 and deliver $25 billion in annual economic input by that same year.
Known as alternative D2 in the SEIS, the adoption of the east-west orientation and 1 nautical mile spacing has been shown to be flexible enough for offshore wind companies to construct efficient and reliable wind farms off the United States’ east coast, while also ensuring navigable waterways for maritime commerce. BOEM is taking comments on the SEIS through July 27. The agency is expected to make a final decision by December.
Mary Anne Hitt, Director of Campaigns for the Sierra Club, released the following statement for the beginning of the comment period:
“The Coast Guard’s recommendation to site wind farms in a 1x1 mile grid pattern along the Eastern Seaboard aligns with the highest standards set by global offshore wind industry leaders, and protects the needs of coastal communities and businesses along the East Coast with clear, navigable shipping lanes.
“The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management should accept the 1x1 mile grid spacing, by far the best option on the table to create a competitive, dynamic coastal marketplace that will encourage economic growth, environmental protection, and business certainty for states from Maine to Georgia.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.