Offshore Wind Power Advocacy June 29, 2020 4 PM EST Hosted By: - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Guest Speakers: Offshore Wind Power Advocacy June 29, 2020 4 PM EST Hosted By:

Green Energy Consumers Alliance Harnessing our power as energy consumers to speed the transition to a low-carbon future. • Non-profit founded 1982 • Primarily work in Mass. and Rhode Island • Programs & Advocacy Kai Salem, Policy Coordinator kai@greenenergyconsumers.org 3

Decarbonizing the Grid Is Essential for GHG Reductions

State Policy Driving More OSW In RI, 100% Renewable Electricity Executive Order signed January 2020. In MA, renewable electricity will be driven by interim 2030 GHG emissions target, to be determined in the 2050 Roadmap. 5

Grid decarbonization depends upon OSW 6

We need 43 GW, or more than 1 GW per year Project Capacity State Vineyard Wind 800 MW MA Revolution Wind 400 MW RI Revolution Wind 300 MW CT Mayflower Wind 804 MA Park City 800 CT TOTAL 3,100 MW by 2025 at best 7

Nathaniel Mayo, Director of Public Affairs

WHO WE ARE • Established in 2015 • Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts with teams in Boston, MA and Bridgeport, CT • Backed 50-50 by renewable energy company Avangrid Renewables renewable energy investment fund manager CIP • Two federal lease areas • Two projects: • Vineyard Wind 1 • Park City Wind

OUR APPROACH TO RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT Community Engagement Environmental Protection • Local outreach; sensitivity to • Extensive field surveys, community impacts research, public/private • Adjusting project design collaboration • Turbine layout • Removing nearshore turbine • Consultation, agreements with locations environmental groups • Lighting • Onshore construction Active, Ongoing Consultation Fisheries Engagement • Indigenous Nations • Extensive pre/post- construction fisheries • Local, State, Federal research regulatory compliance • Communicating early & often Innovating • Adopted major project design • Marine data and monitoring changes technology UMass researchers conduct pre- • Millions in mitigation & construction fisheries surveys in adaptation funding Vineyard Wind lease areas (2018- • Workforce Development present)

FEDERAL REVIEW • Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is lead federal agency • Other federal agencies participate in review through “One Federal Decision” including EPA, USCG, Army Corps of Engineers, FAA, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service • Vineyard Wind 1 Permitting Timeline: August 2019 June 2020 December 2018 2019-2020 BOEM pauses BOEM issues 2017 2018 Issued Draft BOEM initiates offshore wind Supplemental Federal permits Environmental Environmental offshore wind permitting; Environmental submitted Review (NEPA) Impact cumulative delays building Impact Statement (DEIS) impact review 1st wind farm Statement (SEIS) East Coast Cumulative Impact Analysis: • Covers the next 10 years • 18+ potential wind farms • Potential 22,000 megawatts

WHAT’S AT STAKE? • The future of offshore wind • 18+ future wind farms • 22,000 megawatts powering millions of households on the East Coast • Federal review covers BOTH the broad industry impacts and Vineyard Wind project

SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT VINEYARD WIND 1 • Negligible to moderate impacts on resources: bird, whale, sea bottom, socio-economic, viewshed, cultural resources, etc • Most “major” impacts are related to design features that are no longer proposed • ”Major” impacts associated with cumulative fishing impact do not assume mitigation; do assume climate change impacts • VW pledged nearly $40M to offset fisheries losses in an area chosen for its low fishing impact

SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ANALYSIS • Assumes 22,000 megawatts to be built (under perfect conditions) in the “reasonably foreseeable future” i.e. 10 years • Outcome of SEIS process will influence future of US offshore wind: Advocacy is critical

WHAT’S NEW SINCE 2019 DELAY? UNIFORM TURBINE LAYOUT • In response to concerns from the Commercial Fishing community, Vineyard Wind and other developers agreed to uniform turbine layout with 1x1 nautical mile spacing • Reduces potential offshore wind energy by 30% (~13,000MW) • Creates 200+ corridors for fishing or transit • Supported by recent US Coast Guard Study

WHAT’S NEW SINCE 2019 DELAY? BOEM CONSIDERING ADDITIONAL TRANSIT LANES: • Additional transit lanes threaten project viability, pose technical challenges, and cause further delay • With additional transit lanes, region cannot meet clean energy mandates • US Coast Guard study deemed additional transit lanes unnecessary

KEY MESSAGE TO BOEM • This process began decades ago! The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began a public stakeholder process in 2010 to identify and lease locations for building offshore wind. • By 2030, millions of households could be powered by 22,000+ megawatts of renewable offshore wind energy, in the most densely populated regions on the East Coast • Extensive environmental reviews have been done by federal, state, and local regulators and experts • This is not new technology. 4,000+ Offshore wind turbines power Europe - Coexistence in the Ocean - Turbines spaced 1+ miles apart = safe, navigable transit and fishing. • Thousands of jobs will be created across the US with the growth of offshore wind energy • Offshore wind is our region’s best opportunity for new sources of energy

KEY MESSAGE TO BOEM Oppose adding additional transit Support the 1x1 nautical mile lanes within wind farms because it turbine layout – a compromise proposed in response to  reduces offshore wind buildout commercial fisheries’ concerns  massively impairs carbon reduction potential  Deemed unnecessary per Support offshore wind jobs, ratepayer savings, and reduction recent the US Coast Guard of carbon emissions on a large study scale Stop Delaying! This has been studied and debated for decades Support prompt approval. We are in year 20 of pursuit of OSW.

Take Action for #OffshoreWindPowerNOW Guide to the Virtual Meetings: 1. Access log-in credentials @ www.Boem.gov/Vineyard-Wind-SEIS-Virtual-Meeting Navigate to “Virtual Meeting Schedule” (circled in yellow) to find “Webinar Link” aka the Virtual Meeting Room 2. Join hearings via: a) Zoom AND phone or b) Phone only 3. Add your name to the speaker queue by dialing *1 to reach an operator 4. Staff will post the names of the upcoming speakers in the Zoom Chat and will announce verbally 5. Ask BOEM questions in a Q&A box on Zoom, or by dialing *1

Take Action for #OffshoreWindPowerNOW Speak at a virtual hearing: bit.ly/seistalkingpoints Sign & share our petition: bit.ly/seisvineyardpetition Let us know what hearing you will attend: bit.ly/offshorewindpowernow Live Tweet #OffshoreWindPowerNOW during the virtual hearings Write an op-ed or LTE For help, contact me at dipaolon@nwf.org Submit Written Comments Online or by Mail: DEADLINE July 27, 2020

Thank you! Nicole DiPaolo dipaolon@nwf.org