Fishermen plan flotilla, beach demonstrations in wake of Vineyard Wind blade collapse

As questions surrounding last month's failure of a blade on a Vineyard Wind turbine continue, the local fishing community is orchestrating a two-pronged peaceful protest on Aug. 25.

Led by the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association and coordinated via VHF channel 72, a parade of vessels out of Cape Cod, New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket are expected to meet at noon near Vineyard Wind turbine AW-38.

Plans also call for "Hands Across the Beach" demonstrations starting at 1 p.m. on Katama/South Beach on the Vineyard and on Cisco Beach on Nantucket.

Hundreds of fishermen similarly gathered on Bailey Island in Maine's Casco Bay on Aug. 17, also staging a boat parade to express their concerns about offshore wind development.

In a recent statement, association founder and CEO Jerry Leeman said, "fishermen are waiting for a better account of the blade detachment," and that "without a more fulsome account from BSEE (federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement), we remain concerned that developers and regulators are prioritizing speed over safety and marine communities."

Vineyard Wind: Respects right to free speech, but urges caution

Vineyard Wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg on Friday said the company is aware of the planned demonstration in the project area.

"Freedom of speech is a fundamental American principle, and we respect the demonstrators' right to safely express their opinions," he said in an email. "However, we must stress that the Vineyard Wind 1 project area is an active construction zone and we strongly urge all individuals who choose to navigate into the offshore development area to be acutely mindful of their surroundings and prioritize safety above all else."

He noted that "prudent marine safety practices, including maintaining a safe distance from all operational and stationary equipment as well as other vessels, should be strictly observed."

"We are coordinating closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, which continues to enforce a 500-meter safety zone around turbine AW-38 and other areas where work activities are underway to ensure the safety of everyone involved," Gilvarg said.

Intensified criticism vs. continued support

The broken blade has intensified criticism about offshore wind development, including worries about harm to fisheries and the marine and terrestrial environments. Critics worry about blades breaking in the future and oil spills. They are also unhappy about what they see as a chaotic approach to bringing power ashore with multiple transmission lines landing on southern shore and Cape Cod beaches rather than going exclusively to pre-existing industrial sites.

At the same time, the Healey-Driscoll administration, local legislators and area environmental groups like the Sierra Club's Cape and Islands group, continue to support offshore wind as an important part of combatting escalating effects of climate change.

"We remain focused on responsible offshore wind development as the state’s biggest opportunity for meeting the Commonwealth’s renewable energy and emission reduction goals," said Cape Cod and Islands Sierra Club Chairman Chris Powicki in an Aug. 14 email.

The state Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, the Department of Public Health and the Energy Facility Siting Board have also concluded that, based on their extensive review, offshore wind is safe. That was highlighted in a June letter to Barnstable, which specifically addresses concerns critics have raised about electromagnetic fields and contamination from substations related to Vineyard Wind. The agencies maintain that offshore wind offers "tremendous benefit to public health by avoiding harmful greenhouse gas emissions and associated pollutants that lead to respiratory and other illnesses."