The Vineyard Wind project, located off the coast of Massachusetts, recently faced significant criticism from residents of Nantucket following a malfunction that resulted in debris washing up on the town’s shores. Some locals are expressing that they now want the offshore wind farm gone altogether.
“The only solution is to kill this project,” one resident said at a recent town meeting. “The beautiful beaches, and this ocean we love is going to be destroyed unless this project is stopped. It’s that simple.”
The incident involving a damaged turbine blade led the town to initiate a reevaluation of the partnership between Nantucket and Vineyard Wind. The deal is known as the Good Neighbor Agreement. Under this pact, signed by both parties, Vineyard Wind was required to pay $16 million to Nantucket for potential impacts of the project. In return, the town was compelled to inform federal, state and local officials of its support for the wind farm.
“The emergency has also revealed the inadequacy of Vineyard Wind’s coordination and communication regarding the requirements of the Good Neighbor Agreement,” Nantucket Select Board Chair Brooke Mohr said. “Although the town has done its part to honor our obligations, we intend to renegotiate the terms of the agreement in light of this accident.”
While the town leadership’s stated intention is to renegotiate the agreement, some residents advocated for more drastic measures. The recent malfunction is prompting a number of locals to call for the project’s termination.
“I’m happy to hear that you’re renegotiating but I really hope that renegotiating doesn’t mean for more money,” one resident argued. “The only mitigation on this project, the only real mitigation, is to have no turbines.”
“I think the approval of this project by both local state and federal governments is the worst thing that’s ever happened in Nantucket,” another resident said. “All the all the conversations that are happening are in the context of this project continuing. What we need to be talking about, is this project being done put to rest for good. That’s the only way forward here.”
This call for termination comes as General Electric, the company that supplied the turbine blades, attributed the accident to a “manufacturing deviation.” Meanwhile, Vineyard Wind continued its cleanup efforts in the area nearly two weeks after the initial incident. The company said numerous personnel and vessels are involved in the operation.
“We have scores of people who are here on this island cleaning things up,” said Richard Smith, a Vineyard Wind representative. “We have over a dozen vessels in the water. We’re chasing every lead that we’re getting on any debris in the water and on the shores, and we’re committed to cleaning it up.”
