NANTUCKET, Mass. — Damaged turbine blades from the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project have broken apart and fallen into the ocean, resulting in the closure of all south-facing Nantucket beaches. The incident occurred on Saturday, sending dangerous debris ashore and putting beachgoers at risk. Vineyard Wind is now scrambling to control the fallout.
The Vineyard Wind project, located off the coast of Massachusetts, has been shut down until further notice while authorities investigate the turbine blade failure. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) stated on Tuesday that it is working closely with Vineyard Wind to determine the cause of the incident, which left potentially dangerous debris on several Nantucket beaches.
General Electric is leading an investigation into the incident. Pieces of the broken turbine blade were found washed up on Nobadeer Beach, Madaket Beach, and Ladies Beach.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Nantucket Harbormaster announced that all south shore beaches on the island were closed to swimming due to “large floating debris.” The public is encouraged to swim at beaches on the north shore until further notice.
Under heavy scrutiny, Vineyard Wind stated it is “mobilizing debris recovery teams” and working with the U.S. Coast Guard to establish a 500-meter safety zone around the compromised turbine. Their statement, emphasizing a “commitment to a swift and safe recovery,” falls short for many who see this as a significant failure in safety and oversight.
The incident is a blow to both Vineyard Wind, the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, and the nation’s budding offshore wind industry. The sector is regarded as critical to meeting President Joe Biden’s climate change goals but has been struggling with soaring costs and delays.
ACK4Whales, a grassroots organization seeking “science-backed answers on impending cumulative impacts from offshore wind projects” off Massachusetts, shared an image of the broken turbine with a caption that read, “Blades breaking already. Where is it? Did any boats hit it? Why did it break off?”
ACK4Whales, a grassroots organization seeking “science-backed answers on impending cumulative impacts from offshore wind projects” off Massachusetts”?
“SCIENCE-BACKED ANSWERS?”
What a crock!
Who do they expect to get “science-backed answers” from on impending cumulative impacts from offshore wind projects” off Massachusetts?
The Biden administration?
And what exactly is a “science-backed answer” today given that the word “science” itself has become a thoroughly discredited word in this pitiful version of America today?
Joe Biden’s “science” says there is no problem with these wind farms and their turbines.
Blades don’t fall off, they don’t catch on fire, nothing to see here, folks, so everybody get back down in their basements and shut the **** up!
This video from 19 July 2024 has some good shots of the turbine blade debris, i.e. high-priced junk, that is littering the beach of Nantucket, and shows at least one of the “high-paying” jobs that resulted from the approval of the project by the Biden/Harris regime:
300-foot piece of debris from broken wind turbine falls into sea off Nantucket
CBS Boston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUODeV8RUKk
Which takes us to this burst of political BACK-SLAPPING BULL**** from the inept and incompetent Biden/Harris regime, which press release makes it crystal clear that the Biden/Harris regime bears responsibility for the engineering failure that resulted in the adverse environmental effects of this failure where it states that a facility design report and a fabrication and installation report was to be submitted to the Biden/Harris regime, which engineering and technical reports were to provide specific details for how the facility would be fabricated and installed in accordance with the Construction and Operations Plan approved by the Biden/Harris regime:
“Biden-Harris Administration Approves First Major Offshore Wind Project in U.S. Waters – Major milestone will propel America’s drive toward a clean energy future”
Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo today announced approval of the construction and operation of the Vineyard Wind project — the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States.
The Secretaries were joined in the announcement by labor leaders who have been working to ensure that the project is built and maintained by union labor.
The 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind energy project will contribute to the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of generating 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030.
The project will be located approximately 12 nautical miles offshore Martha’s Vineyard and 12 nautical miles offshore Nantucket in the northern portion of Vineyard Wind’s lease area.
It will create 3,600 jobs and provide enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses.
“A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States.”
“The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration’s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
“Today is one of many actions we are determined to take to open the doors of economic opportunity to more Americans.”
“Today’s offshore wind project announcement demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis, while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
“This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals, and I’m proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind.”
In its first four months, the Biden-Harris administration has catalyzed the offshore wind industry by announcing the first ever national offshore wind energy mandate, creating a roadmap for the future of this innovative industry.
Achieving the 30 gigawatt goal is anticipated to result in the creation of tens of thousands of living wage, family-supporting union jobs while positioning America to lead a clean energy revolution and tackle the climate crisis.
Building the offshore wind supply chain can feed steel mills in West Virginia, support ship building in Texas, and wind turbine manufacturing in both inland areas and on the coasts.
Today’s Record of Decision (ROD) grants Vineyard Wind final federal approval to install 84 or fewer turbines off Massachusetts as part of an 800-megawatt offshore wind energy facility.
The project is expected to create 3,600 area jobs and will power up to 400,000 homes.
Turbines will be installed in an east-west orientation, and all the turbines will have a minimum spacing of 1 nautical mile between them in the north-south and east-west directions, consistent with the U.S. Coast Guard recommendations in the Final Massachusetts and Rhode Island Port Access Route Study.
The ROD adopts mitigation measures to help avoid, minimize, reduce, or eliminate adverse environmental effects that could result from the construction and operation of the proposed project.
These mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements were developed through input, consultation, and coordination with stakeholders, Tribes, and federal and state agencies.
“This project represents the power of a government-wide approach to offshore wind permitting, taking stakeholder ideas and concerns into consideration every step of the way,” said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Amanda Lefton.
“We will continue to advance new projects that will incorporate lessons learned from analyzing this project to ensure an efficient and predictable process for industry and stakeholders.”
The ROD is jointly signed by and addresses permitting decisions by BOEM, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Marine Fisheries Service within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Prior to construction, Vineyard Wind must submit a facility design report and a fabrication and installation report.
These engineering and technical reports provide specific details for how the facility will be fabricated and installed in accordance with the approved Construction and Operations Plan.