logo
Article

$4.3M in donations to enviro groups from wind industry raises questions about conflicts, says report

GoLocalProv|GoLocalProv|April 27, 2022
Rhode IslandUSAImpact on WildlifeOffshore Wind

The Save Right Whales Coalition, a group of scientists, conservationists, and community leaders, has discovered that many of the leading conservation organizations in New England and down the East Coast where offshore wind projects are being developed accept donations from major corporations in the wind industry.  In some cases, the non-profits accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars.In a Zoom press conference on Tuesday with about twenty reporters, Save the Right Whales member Lisa Linowes said that the group had been fighting to protect the migration routes of both the right whale and migrating birds.

The group says it is comprised of volunteers and explicitly stated it had no relationship with any industry group. It was formed in …

... more [truncated due to possible copyright]

The Save Right Whales Coalition, a group of scientists, conservationists, and community leaders, has discovered that many of the leading conservation organizations in New England and down the East Coast where offshore wind projects are being developed accept donations from major corporations in the wind industry.  In some cases, the non-profits accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars.In a Zoom press conference on Tuesday with about twenty reporters, Save the Right Whales member Lisa Linowes said that the group had been fighting to protect the migration routes of both the right whale and migrating birds.

The group says it is comprised of volunteers and explicitly stated it had no relationship with any industry group. It was formed in November and has not yet filed a 990 tax filing and says it has not done any fundraising.

Wind Industry Donations top $4.3 Million and May Be Much Higher

Save Right Whales tracked more than $4.3 million in donations to environmental organizations.

As an example, Save the Right Whales said in its report, "The New England Aquarium received a donation pledge of $250,000 in 2018 from Bay State Wind. In 2019, Vineyard Wind donated an undisclosed amount to the Aquarium. In 2020, Equinor also donated an undisclosed amount. The Aquarium has supported offshore wind since at least 2021."

Another example cited is, "In August 2020, the National Audubon Society received a $200,000 grant from the New England Forest and Rivers Fund, a granting organization that takes money from the Avangrid Foundation, which is part of Avangrid Renewables. The National Audubon Society has supported offshore wind since at least 2010."
 
And Save the Right Whales cited, "The World Wildlife Fund received a sponsorship grant of undisclosed value from Ørsted in 2019. The World Wildlife Fund has supported offshore wind since at least 2021."
 
Report found $4.3 million in donations from the wind industry

Ørsted who is the owner of America's first wind project off of Block Island did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The Danish company was linked to a number of other donations to groups in the report.
Save the Right Whales claims the donations are influencing directly or create an appearance of a conflict of interest. The group says the environmental groups often are not speaking out about critical issues relating to environmental issues including the protection of the right whale and other threatened species. 

"The construction and operation of these projects in the North Atlantic right whale habitat will put this critically-endangered species under even more stress," said Save the Right Whales. Linowes says a recent study raises significant concerns about the impact of large-scale wind projects on the right whale.

In addition Save the Right Whales charged: in a letter to more than a dozen environmental groups that accepted donations:

“We are concerned that financial conflicts of interest are interfering with your analysis of offshore wind projects.  We are particularly concerned that the construction and operation of industrial wind turbines along the Atlantic Coast will harm right whales."

"Your groups have accepted donations, sponsorships, and grants from offshore wind energy companies. Attached to this letter is a document that outlines each donation from wind companies that we believe constitutes a conflict of interest."

"Through our research, we identified 36 separate examples of donations constituting a conflict of interest. Conservatively estimated, wind companies and foundations that receive wind company money have donated nearly $4.3 million to environmental organizations. This does not include 16 donations of undisclosed value, or pledges whose status we were unable to confirm. Of this total, $1.1 million coming from Avangrid and Shell were passed through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation before being distributed to specific groups."

Save the Bay Has Not Accepted Donations From Wind Industry

Rhode Island's largest environmental organization says that it has raised questions about one of the region's largest wind projects and has refused donations from the industry.

"Save The Bay has not accepted donations from any major wind companies. Regarding wind energy development in general, Save The Bay supports wind energy projects when they are properly sited. The comments we submitted in response to the South Fork Wind proposal (linked here) should offer insight into how we respond to improperly sited projects," Katy Dorchies Nutini, Director of Communications and Marketing for Save the Bay.

In Save the Bay's testimony it raised significant questions about the Ørsted project.

"We fully support wind energy properly sited. However, based on the extensive analysis prepared by staff, the project is not properly sited, nor is it consistent with the Ocean SAMP. The known and potential impacts to our coastal resources, including unique, essential fish habitat, from project construction, installation, operation, and decommissioning, are irreversible. As currently constituted, the proposal is not consistent with the Ocean SAMP for two main reasons," according to Save the Bay.

Save the Bay stated in June of 2021:

First, as stated by staff, 'the location of the SFW project on Cox Ledge… is in our view one of the worst possible locations within Rhode Island Sound'… We agree. While we understand there are risks of habitat loss to meet wind energy goals, this project will disrupt some of the most valuable habitat in Rhode Island Sound. For example, Cox Ledge is one of the few remaining places in Rhode Island Sound where Atlantic cod are found at all life stages. While all fish habitat is important, spawning and nursery areas are especially important in providing shelter for these species during the most vulnerable stages of their life cycles. CRMC staff have determined that despite modifications made to the proposed SFW project by the developer, the project will have adverse impacts on the Rhode Island-based coastal uses and resources.

Secondly, the applicant reconfigured the lease, precluding alternative locations and without opportunity for Rhode Island’s input. As stated by staff “Ørsted created their own hardship in this matter by segregating the 0517 lease area from the much larger 0486 lease during BOEM’s ongoing DEIS development process, and thus eliminated the feasibility for an alternative to relocate SFW turbine foundations to avoid damage to glacial moraine resources and values.” Simply put, the applicant should not be rewarded for reconfiguring the lease area knowing CRMC wanted the project located outside of the glacial moraine. If the Council certifies the project as consistent with the SAMP it will make a mockery of the process and the Ocean SAMP, set a dangerous precedent, and validate a playbook for other developers to leverage.

 


Source:https://www.golocalprov.com/n…

Share this post
Follow Us
RSS:XMLAtomJSON
Donate
Donate
Stay Updated

We respect your privacy and never share your contact information. | LEGAL NOTICES

Contact Us

WindAction.org
Lisa Linowes, Executive Director
phone: 603.838.6588

Email contact

General Copyright Statement: Most of the sourced material posted to WindAction.org is posted according to the Fair Use doctrine of copyright law for non-commercial news reporting, education and discussion purposes. Some articles we only show excerpts, and provide links to the original published material. Any article will be removed by request from copyright owner, please send takedown requests to: info@windaction.org

© 2024 INDUSTRIAL WIND ACTION GROUP CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WEBSITE GENEROUSLY DONATED BY PARKERHILL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION