The federal government continues to recklessly move forward on offshore wind (OSW), while the industry seems financially at risk. On September 15, the largest proposed offshore wind power plant owned by two fossil fuel giants moved a step closer to approval. The U.S. Government released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Empire Wind 1 and 2 projects proposed by Equinor, a Norwegian Company formerly called StatOil, and British Petroleum (BP). The combined projects are the largest to date with 174 monopiles, 15-megawatt (MW) turbines untried in US waters, and over 375 miles of cables releasing heat and electromagnetic fields. The project location is the gateway to the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, an already ecologically critical and vulnerable area for marine life. It is also the gateway to the busiest port on the eastern seaboard creating navigational hazards for thousands of ships, including chemical and oil tankers, entering the #1 port on the East Coast.
COA’s evaluation of the projects’ Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) found it was woefully inadequate in identifying impacts, threats, and technological challenges, as well as failing to include cumulative impacts from the many of proposed OSW projects in the region. COA is reviewing the FEIS; unfortunately, there is no formal public comment period. The director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is expected to make a final Record of Decision (ROD) imminently.
How YOU Can Help!
Call your elected officials to raise concerns about impacts from offshore wind projects Empire Wind 1 & 2.
- To find your officials, go to: https://www.USA.Gov/Elected-Officials
- Go to CleanOceanAction.org for links to the FEIS and COA’s comments on Empire Wind’s DEIS
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| Empire Wind Project in blue area (between pink shipping lanes) Image Credit: Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal |
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