Congressman Calls On Offshore Wind Developers To Notify Coastal Communities When Problems Arise

U.S. Congressman Bill Keating called for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to establish protocols requiring local officials to be immediately notified of any potentially hazardous conditions related to offshore wind lease areas in a letter distributed on Friday.

It comes two weeks after Vineyard Wind’s disastrous turbine blade failure that spread fiberglass and foam debris over Nantucket’s beaches and the surrounding waters.

“As GE Vernova continues to investigate what caused the issues at their Quebec manufacturing facility that led to this failure and inspects the other blades produced at that facility, I have called on the BSSE to establish protocols that would ensure local, state, and tribal stakeholders are notified immediately of environmental incidents at offshore energy facilities,” Keating wrote. “When debris is washing up on the beach, the first call a resident makes is to their town government, and BSSE’s delay in notifying local stakeholders is unfair to those impacted most by this incident.”

At both Select Board meetings since a portion of a Vineyard Wind turbine blade toppled into the ocean, residents have skewered the federal government and Nantucket’s Congressional representatives for their allegedly insufficient response. Keating’s letter, which came after a meeting with Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton, may offer some reassurance that the long-time House rep is aware of the situation. But it is unlikely to be sufficient to quell local rumblings, especially as it comes coupled with a clarification that Keating still supports offshore wind and views the crisis as a “bump in the road.”

“I am relieved that no one was hurt when the failure occurred, but that doesn’t mean local communities weren’t negatively impacted,” Keating said. “Despite this bump in the road, I still firmly believe that the offshore wind industry will be a great benefit to our Commonwealth and nation and the lessons learned here will ultimately help continue to safely grow the wind industry.”