Northeast governors urge federal agencies not to delay Vineyard Wind Project

A group of governors from the Northeast are urging the U.S. Department of Interior and Department of Commerce to resolve the government delay regarding the Vineyard Wind Project.

Earlier this month the Department of the Interior delayed the offshore wind farm so that a supplemental environmental study could be conducted. The proposed $2.8 billion wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts had gained widespread support from federal and state officials, including Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts.

Baker, along with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urging them not to delay the project.

“A decision regarding the first project undergoing environmental review by your Departments, Vineyard Wind, has now been delayed due to a decision to undertake an expanded “cumulative impacts” review of a greater build-out of offshore wind in the Atlantic. While we support assessing and mitigating impacts of large-scale offshore wind development, we are disappointed that this review has adversely affected the timeline for the Vineyard Wind Project,” the governors wrote. “Like other industries, it is critical that states and the federal government establish and maintain clear regulatory timelines so as to incentivize the necessary capital investment. We encourage you to explore options for ensuring that supplemental review be conducted expeditiously so that a Record of Decision for the Vineyard Wind Project can be issued by March 2020.”

They said a government delay would have negative impacts on offshore wind development along the east coast and lead to a loss of jobs.

Sununu released a statement in support of moving forward.

“I support Governor Baker’s request that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) come to a Record of Decision on the Vineyard Wind project by March of 2020,” Sununu said. “Ensuring that the Vineyard Wind project moves forward on schedule is vital to New Hampshire’s own efforts in the Gulf of Maine. Vineyard Wind is the first project of its kind to go through this process, and any delay will negatively impact the future offshore wind development not just for Massachusetts, but for the entire region.”