New England fishermen rally to protest Vineyard Wind. (New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association)
"The Vineyard Wind project is proof that offshore wind will crush fishermen and maritime communities," he added.
The fleet included boats that catch lobster, tuna, squid and scallops. The fishermen were from Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Vineyard Wind did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CHAOTIC MOMENTS CAUGHT ON CAMERA DURING RHODE ISLAND WIND FARM FORUM; POLICE INVESTIGATING
Last month, the Nantucket harbormaster announced that six of the town's beaches would be temporarily closed after pieces of fiberglass washed ashore and said anyone walking the beach should wear footwear to protect themselves from the sharp debris.
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between foreign entities Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, which built wind farms off the coast of Massachusetts, said on July 18 that a blade from a turbine had snapped and that power production from the turbines was stopped immediately.
In October, Vineyard Wind boasted of a $1.2 billion "first-of-its-kind tax equity package" for commercial scale offshore wind with three U.S.-based banks, calling it "the largest single asset tax equity financing and the first for a commercial scale offshore wind project."
Vineyard Wind 1 began on-site construction in late 2021 and completed the nation’s first offshore substation in July 2023. It is an 800 megawatts project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and is the first commercial scale offshore wind project in the United States.
When the blade fell last month, Leeman said, "the scariest thing" about it is that "it could happen again."
"The cause of the breakage is unknown at this time. GE, as the project’s turbine and blade manufacturer and installation contractor, will now be conducting the analysis into the root cause of the incident," Vineyard Wind said at the time.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BLASTED FOR 'HYPOCRISY' ON OFFSHORE WIND AS IT SCRAMBLES TO PROBE WHALE DEATHS
The University of Maine's first prototype of an offshore wind turbine is seen in this Sept. 20, 2013, file photo, near Castine, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files)
"The NMFS concludes with, ‘Offshore wind is the new use of our marine waters, requiring substation scientific and regulatory review,’" Zipf testified. "So, where is the substantial review? Where is the commitment to the precautionary principle?"
Clean Ocean Action noted last February following the ninth whale death in the Northeast that the "alarming number of [whale] deaths is unprecedented in the last half century." The only unique factor from previous years is the excessive scope, scale and magnitude of offshore wind power plant activity in the region, the group noted.
Zipf emphasized that "climate change is real" and "living resources on the planet are in crisis," but offshore wind projects should only be approved after pilot-scale projects are proven to be successful and when science supports industrial-scale plants.
In April, NEFSA, a fishing advocacy group that represents wild harvesters in fisheries across New England, criticized the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) recently unveiled plans to lease 2 million acres of ocean in Maine for more offshore wind development – an unprecedented leasing area that would allow for construction of enough wind turbines to produce 32 gigawatts of energy.
NEFSA, along with Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, said the administration is "rushing" to "political-proof" a green energy plan insulated from a possible administration change in November.
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BOEM told Fox News Digital in July that it will conduct a "phased leasing approach, and that BOEM does not intend to lease the entire final WEA (wind energy area)… but rather, BOEM will now consider proposed lease areas from within the final WEA based on certain criteria."
They said the WEA was finalized "after extensive engagement with lobster fishermen in fishing communities" and "avoids several other important fishing areas and habitats, including important groundfish areas."
Brianna Herlihy is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/menace-our-fisheries-new-england-flotilla-unites-protest-wind-farm-after-turbine-disaster