Lawsuit and petitions filed against three US offshore wind projects

Town officials filed an appeal in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the decision by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to allow the SouthCoast Wind project to move forward despite admitting it would “tarnish Nantucket’s world-renowned views”.

Nantucket officials argue that BOEM’s approval violates both the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, laws that ensure federal agencies mitigate harm to historic sites before clearing projects. The town has enlisted Cultural Heritage Partners as special legal counsel for the lawsuit.

The town also cited concerns that the incident at Vineyard Wind, when one of its massive turbine blades disintegrated and filled the town’s beaches with debris, could be repeated with other projects.

“Our economy depends on heritage tourism. If people stop coming to Nantucket, that hurts our small businesses, our workers, and our community,” added Matt Fee, vice chair of the select board.

Furthermore, the Nantucket-based ACK for Whales is asking the US Environmental Protection Agency to rescind permits granted to Vineyard Wind and New England Wind to construct and operate their offshore wind farms.

The group filed a petition against Vineyard Wind earlier this week, asking the EPA to revoke the permit. The permit was granted in 2021 and amended in 2022. Vineyard Wind is currently under construction. Previously, the group filed a similar petition against New England Wind.