Feds pick New England’s offshore wind development area, drawing cheers and questions alike
PORTLAND, Maine — The federal government on Friday designated a large area off the coast of New England for the development of offshore wind energy production, paving the way for a possible lease sale in the Gulf of Maine.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said in a statement that the New England zone, which has been identified by renewable energy advocates as critical to wind energy growth, “avoids important areas for lobster fishing, North Atlantic whale habitat and other important fishing areas. areas and habitats.”
Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills and three Maine lawmakers – Republican Senator Susan Collins, Independent Senator Angus King and Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree – also issued a joint statement saying the designated area “preserves vital fishing grounds and tries to minimize potential environmental risks. and ecological impacts on the Gulf of Maine.”
The move came a day after the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm opened at Montauk Point, New York. Environmental groups cheered the announcement, but some members of the commercial fishing industry, who oppose wind energy development in lobster fishing areas, said they remain concerned about the location of offshore wind energy in the area.
“There are still too many unanswered questions about the impact of offshore wind energy on the marine environment, commercial fishermen and our fishing heritage,” said Kevin Kelley, spokesman for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, a major fishing trade group.
Kelley said the organization appreciates that the wind energy area removes some of the most critical fishing groups, but still believes that no part of the Gulf of Maine “should be industrialized with offshore wind energy.”
Several environmental and labor groups spoke out in favor of the proposal on Friday.
“For the most part, this designation has delineated and excluded the most vulnerable areas from wind turbine construction,” said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president of law and policy at the Conservation Law Foundation.
The wind energy area covers about 2 million acres (0.81 hectares) off the coasts of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 23 miles to 92 miles (37 to 148.06 kilometers) offshore depending on location, BOEM said. The agency said development of the area could potentially exceed state goals for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine.
BOEM is expected to announce within a few days its intention to prepare an environmental assessment of the potential impacts of offshore wind leasing activities in the area.