Stop Offshore Wind Farms in the Gulf of Maine SIGN OUR PETITION to STOP OFFSHORE WIND LEASES in the GULF of MAINE scheduled to begin OCTOBER 29, 2024!

Offshore Wind in the Gulf of Maine is being fast tracked by government officials without proper study, consideration or information sharing on the detrimental impacts of these projects to our ocean environment. Cape Cod is an amazingly beautiful and unique ecosystem which draws thousands of visitors every year to find peace on its shores and surrounding waters. These offshore wind projects have potential to destroy this haven by affecting marine mammals, commercial and recreational fisheries, Cape Cod National Seashore view shed, and many other factors as listed in the petition.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TODAY and send a message to our local leaders that we are NOT OKAY with these leases moving forward!

These BOEM leases CAN BE STOPPED as recently occurred in Oregon when Governor Tina Kotek withdrew her state from BOEM's lease process.

 

Offshore Wind Information meeting in Truro!

Thursday, September 12th, 6-8 pm

Truro Public Library, 7 Standish Way, Truro, MA

Please plan to attend to gain awareness of the impact these offshore wind projects have on our oceans. We are very fortunate to have this event right here in Truro! Thank you to the Truro Public Library and Truro Select Board for organizing.

More details available on the Truro Library website.

Join the Facebook event to show your support for this event!

 

 

On September 6, 2024, BOEM released their Final Environment Assessment  While very much expected, we are extremely disappointed to view their decision that: there would be no significant impact on the environment as a result of lease issuance. Please get your point across in November, by voting against candidates who are for fast-tracking these projects. There are too many open questions and too many valid data points indicating that these projects will harm the environment more than they help them. Please vote for candidates who truly support a reasonable, responsible and transparent approach in assessing the impact of offshore wind projects before allowing them to move forward. Please vote for candidates who are not financially motivated to fast-track offshore wind projects.

Review several important comments to BOEM on the Draft Environmental Assessment of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. Also please sign the petition from New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association.

Gulf of Maine Wind Farms Public Information Session

Reflections on Wednesday (July 17th) evening's Public Information Session on the Gulf of Maine wind lease:

I greatly appreciate everyone who attended this meeting including the facilitator, those who presented, those who commented, those who came to show support and those who came to learn. A special thank you to my son Beckett and aunt Elaine Brownell who attended with me.

I learned a great deal from this meeting and very much appreciate the views shared by everyone present. I heard some concerns for which I was aware of and many of which I was not. I have more research to do. There were multiple requests for followup meetings. I look forward to when those are scheduled and will submit that request again myself.

I paid close to attention to the comments of those who are in support of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. From these individuals I distilled two themes: 1) job creation and 2) addressing climate change.

On the first point that this project will draw great opportunity for electrical workers, I believe to an extent that is valid. Although I also believe its negative impact on the fishing industry and tourism will cause a loss of jobs. For this claim my feeling is that the jobs created compared to the jobs lost will be a net neutral impact or perhaps a net loss. I understand I am simplifying this, but am trying to keep this post within a reasonable length. For this argument, I was not swayed in my viewpoint against offshore wind.

The second point (and one individual spoke quite passionately on this) that the Gulf of Maine has the potential to have immense impact on addressing climate change. I was interested in this claim as I have been searching for data to support that assertion myself and I have not been able to find evidence supporting that offshore wind energy when factoring in all the greenhouse gases used for manufacturing, transportation, surveying, installation and operation do have a net positive impact on the global climate crisis. It would be easier to sleep at night if there was clear data supporting that the potential destruction of the Gulf of Maine would have a clear positive impact on saving the planet. As far as I have looked it won’t. It won’t make any difference.

But I continue to seek this data. After the meeting I appreciate that the two members from BOEM were open to taking questions even though it was approaching 9pm. I asked if they would please include a slide in their next presentation showing how these offshore wind projects positively impact the climate change crisis. He responded that this type of data isn’t available. Further following up that it is not BOEM’s job to prove or present that these offshore wind farms will have any positive impact on climate change. They are more focused on how much energy the offshore wind farms can potentially produce and could show a slide on the possible number of homes powered by this energy. But do not have data on the climate change effect of this energy source in comparison to oil, coal, nuclear, solar, etc.

I am still unconvinced that there is a net positive impact on the environment from these offshore wind projects due to the complete lack of a data source which sums all the environmental negative impacts against the theoretical environmental positive impacts on climate change and comes up with a net result which isn’t negative.

I will continue to seek data, ask questions, listen to others and request meetings. Thank you all for reading. Stay tuned. Here also is a press article about the meeting.

View comments on BOEM Public Sale Notice (PSN) for offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.

This photo was taken as my family enjoyed sunrise at Head of the Meadow Beach on April 24, 2021.

The future of Truro - as we know it - is in considerable jeopardy and sadly I think most people are unaware of this. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is planning to lease nearly 1 million acres of the Gulf of Maine to offshore wind farms including the oceans approximately 23 miles off the coast of Truro. This will be for thousands of floating wind turbines which are tethered to the ocean floor and are each over 1200 feet tall. These grids are planned to be more powerful than any other constructed to date on our planet using untested technology.

It is of great disappointment that local senator Julian Cyr is supporting the cabling from these offshore wind farms to be run through Head of the Meadow Beach potentially to a massive power station at the old North Truro Air Force Base. Specifically from Cyr: "I’d would welcome a cable landing at Head of the Meadow – or any beach in Truro – and the related grid infrastructure that would come with it."

The impact on our fisheries, marine life and eco system in general is of grave concern to me, my family and our business. The electromagnetic radiation from such cabling is known to disrupt migratory patterns of marine life which is just one concern of many. I do not believe BOEM has provided sufficient opportunity for the citizens of the outer Cape to understand what is going on.

I realize we need to address climate change and we need renewable energy, but green lighting destruction of the ocean in the name of green energy is completely unacceptable. We must avoid running head first into an irreversible disaster in the name of being “pioneers” of solving the climate crisis. We do not need to trade one crisis for another.

More Information About Offshore Wind

  • Equinor cancels offshore wind projects amid rising costs
  • Our comment to BOEM can be viewed here.
  • Visualization of offshore wind farm from the top of Highland Light. In order to fully understand the magnitude of this, download the image. Set to Actual Size and look at Maximum Visibility:
    Visualization of Cape Cod Offshore Wind Farms from top of Highland Light
  • Cape and Island leaders request more time to review Offshore Wind in the Gulf of Maine
  • Recent article on expensive and untested technologies to be used for the floating turbines.
  • Video of Julian Cyr supporting offshore wind in Truro.
  • From Page A-66 of the Vineyard Wind Final Environmental Impact Statement: "Overall, it is anticipated that there would be no collective impact on global warming as a result of onshore wind project activities."
  • Data supporting offshore wind is killing whales.
  • Impact of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on pelagic species and American Lobster - study from Nova Scotia Wind Farms
  • Testimony from Scientist Chris Clark about impact to right whales: "Right whales, as well as many marine animals (e.g. shrimp and commercial fishes), are highly dependent upon a naturally quiet ocean for basic life functions. Seismic airgun surveys off the east coast will significantly change the natural dynamics of that acoustic ecosystem"
  • Use of Sulfur Hexaflouride (SF6) one of the most detrimental greenhouse gases in offshore wind.
  • Why are so many wind turbines failing? In light of recent Vineyard Wind catastrophe, read more about national turbine failures.

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