A group of fishing organizations is sounding the alarm over the Biden administration’s new plan to industrialize the Gulf of Maine by leasing 2 million acres to build wind farms, a plan that fishermen Fishermen say it will have a negative impact on their business and marine life.
Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), an agency of the Department of the Interior, announced the final determination of so-called wind energy areas (WEAs). Enough wind turbines to produce 32 gigawatts (GW) of energy.
The agency supports the Biden administration’s goal of installing 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035, and the Gulf of Maine WEA supports current state goals for offshore wind energy. He boasted that he would surpass the The Gulf of Maine has 10 GW in Massachusetts and 3 GW in Maine.
But a coalition of 17 fishing organizations said the move was “the culmination of a hastily developed development process”. Lack of economic information, the most important scientific, environmental and cultural issues. ”
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Max Oliver fishes off the coast of Spruce Head, Maine, on Aug. 31, 2021, as he moves a lobster to a tag stand in his boat. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bucati)
Groups such as the New England Fisheries Management Association (NEFSA) and the Responsible Ocean Development Alliance (RODA) have called the question of how offshore wind energy activity is linked to the spike in whale mortality across the Atlantic Ocean into “serious waters.” “Doubts remain,” he said.
The organization says much of the WEA is frequented by the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Renting the area for wind power generation is “completely inconsistent with endangered species conservation policies.”
Historically, the federal government has done so by seeking to drastically limit fishing capabilities out of fear for endangered marine species, despite the lack of data to support the idea that fishing is dangerous to those species. In some ways, it has hindered fishing.
“Fishers are disappointed that the WEA designation favors foreign energy developers over protecting marine mammals. This preferential treatment is designed to protect whales from commercial fishing with overwhelming restrictions. “This stands in stark contrast to the federal government’s aggressive campaign to impose unnecessary burdens on Americans,” the group said.
They also said the WEA would permanently remove fleets from key bottom fishing areas.
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Wind turbines are shown in the Atlantic Ocean. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer/File)
“The Gulf of Maine WEA was finalized at a breakneck pace without sufficient consideration of its interactions with fisheries and long-term environmental impacts,” the official said, adding that many questions remain unanswered. He added that it would remain the same.
“Research like the one envisioned through the Gulf of Maine Research Array to study the interaction between wind and the marine environment and identify strategies to avoid and reduce the impacts of commercial-scale offshore wind energy development has never been done before. It has not been implemented,” they said.
“Nor has there been sufficient time to follow best practices in ocean modeling, including significantly improved transparency and long-standing ocean modeling that retains important ecological knowledge across generations.” It should include meaningful partnerships with fishermen as managers.”
NEFSA Chief Operating Officer Dustin Delano said in an interview with FOX News Digital that an offshore wind farm of this size is unprecedented, so the government will continue to operate at least until more data is available from the current small-scale pilot project. He said we should wait. Just a few months.
“A commercial leasing process could follow that research project in just a few months,” Delano said. “Commercial-scale development could proceed just south of it without seeing what the environmental impacts would be.”
“That’s incredibly irresponsible,” he said.
“We have one Gulf of Maine. This is one chance, this is one shot. As soon as you get in there and destroy things, it’s destroyed forever,” he added.
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Fishermen photographed off the coast of South Portland, Maine, on September 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bucati)
RODA’s Annie Hawkins told FOX News Digital that BOEM estimates that WEA could generate up to 32 gigawatts of energy, “far exceeding demand from neighboring states and requests from wind industry groups.” “There is,” he said.
Typically, governments finalize the WEA for designated projects that energy companies bid for construction. But in this case, Hawkins speculated, the WEA’s unprecedented scale shows the government has unfettered ability to greenlight wind energy projects with little scrutiny.
“The finalization of the WEA designation appears to give BOEM maximum freedom to approve future leases from within this vast region with minimal further review,” she said.
“The highest level of scrutiny is especially necessary given the anticipated use of new floating turbine technology that is still being designed and has entirely unknown environmental impacts,” she said, adding that the agency should He added that there would be an opportunity to “clarify these points” in the future. Future Notice and Comment Period.
BOEM said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the final WEA establishes boundaries to inform BOEM’s initial environmental assessment under NEPA for potential site characterization and evaluation activities.
“BOEM does not intend to lease the entire Final WEA; rather, BOEM is currently considering proposed leasing areas from within the Final WEA, which will later be issued for public comment in a Notice of Proposed Sale.” said the authorities. “The size of the final WEA allows BOEM to consider additional collision avoidance areas while supporting regional renewable energy goals and the possibility of multiple lease sales as it continues to evaluate a phased leasing approach. It becomes possible.”
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BOEM noted that the WEA was completed “after extensive engagement with lobster fishermen in fishing communities” and avoids certain restricted areas identified by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The agency also said that from initial conversations with tribal nations located within Maine, the final recommended WEA would also likely avoid large portions of these tribes’ historic and current fishing grounds. .
“BOEM continues to consult with all tribal nations and ocean users with interests in the area to understand their concerns about potential offshore wind development, including visibility and transmission impacts, and to “We will strive to minimize potential conflicts,” the authorities said.
