Deadline For Vineyard Wind To Respond To Nantucket's Demand Punted For Another Week

Tuesday was the deadline for Vineyard Wind to respond to a series of 15 demands the Nantucket Select Board issued at a press conference two weeks ago, and no response was forthcoming. But the town agreed to meet with the offshore wind developer next Thursday instead, allowing the company another eight days to formulate a reply.

“Today, Vineyard Wind proposed, and the Town agreed, to meet on Thursday, August 21, between 2 and 4 PM EST,” the town wrote in a statement. “Select Board member and former chair Brooke Mohr will lead discussions for the Town, and Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moller will lead discussions for the company. By close of business the following day, the Town will report to the public on the meeting’s outcome, including Vineyard Wind's response to each of the Town's proposed protocols.”

This reprieve comes after Mohr initially said two weeks was “plenty of time” for Vineyard Wind to issue a response. The reason?

“August scheduling realities,” Greg Werkheiser, an attorney for Cultural Heritage Partners, the town’s special counsel for offshore wind matters, told the Current.

The town’s demands fall into three broad categories: adequate communication, lighting, and emergency response planning. The Select Board alleges that Vineyard Wind has failed to live up to its commitments in the so-called “Good Neighbor Agreement” signed by both the company and the Town of Nantucket in all three areas.

The demands include immediate communication of all emergencies to town officials, regular project updates, implementing a public emergency response planning process within two months, and establishing a $10 million escrow fund to cover any potential future cleanup costs. The town demanded that violations of the communication protocols come with a $250,000 payment.

In the weeks since the press conference, Vineyard Wind has taken steps to address at least one of those categories, announcing that the Aircraft Detection Lighting System, which allows the FAA-mandated blinking red lights atop the turbines to be turned off unless an aircraft is detected in nearby airspace, is finally integrated on all fully installed turbines. The system was supposed to be fully operational when Vineyard Wind started producing power, but it was significantly delayed.

Several state and federal politicians and activist groups have also spoken out about offshore wind since the press conference.

“The town thanks the elected federal and state officials who have publicly or privately expressed their support for these reasonable accountability measures,” the town’s statement continues. “More such support is needed.”