The state’s Coastal Resources Management Council unanimously voted to grant what’s called a “federal consistency certification” during a packed, four-hour-long public hearing in Narragansett Tuesday.
The council’s vote will be considered by federal regulators to approve, disapprove or approve with modifications developer Vineyard Wind’s 84-turbine offshore wind project. The project, which would be built about 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, would supply enough clean energy to the Bay state to power about 400,000 homes.
“We are confident that today’s vote…will allow the Ocean State’s fishing industry to safely operate and grow side-by-side with our project and future offshore wind developments,” Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind, said in a statement.
Under federal law, the CRMC has the authority to review offshore wind projects that fall under its jurisdiction. The goal is to ensure projects comply with state standards on coastal management, including policies that protect the coast’s natural resources and human users, like fishermen.
Vineyard Wind voluntarily participated in the CRMC’s review process.
The CRMC originally planned to make their final decision in November, but the council and Vineyard Wind agreed four times to push back the vote to give the developer more time to work out a compensation package with the council’s Fishermen’s Advisory Board (FAB).
Before Tuesday’s hearing, the FAB, which represents Rhode Island’s commercial fishing industry, reluctantly accepted Vineyard Wind’s latest offer of $16.7 million to make up for lost fishing revenue within the project’s area.
Initially, Vineyard Wind offered to pay fishermen $6.2 million over 30 years in direct compensation. There would have been an additional $23.8 million made available over the same time period that could be used to help improve fishing vessels and develop new gear types or fishing methods.
Vineyard Wind’s modified offer includes $4.2 million that will be put into an escrow account over 29 years “to compensate for any claims of direct impacts to Rhode island vessels or Rhode Island fisheries in the project area.” The company will also put $12.5 million over five years into a fishermen’s trust fund.
“The FAB advised Vineyard Wind that larger annual payments over a shorter period would be of greater value and more useful to Rhode Island’s fishermen than smaller payments over a longer period, as we had first proposed,” Vineyard Wind said in a statement.
However, during the public hearing, about 15 members of the commercial fishing industry spoke out in opposition to the project and the developer’s compensation package.
“I think the compensation’s an absolute joke,” Ian Parente, monkfish fisherman, said. “I mean, that doesn’t represent how much money a single vessel would derive from that area over 30 years. My mind is blown by how that’s supposed to be compensation for an entire industry.”
More than 170 fishermen signed a petition that was submitted to the CRMC prior to the hearing, saying the FAB doesn’t represent their interests and that they’re worried the project could put them out of business.
However, some fishermen spoke in favor of the project and the compensation package, not because they agreed with it, but because they felt like they didn’t have a choice.
“This may be the process of extincting the commercial fishermen as we know it,” Todd Sutton, commercial fisherman out of Newport, said. “We need this money to fight the good fight later, guys.”
Sutton requested the CRMC increase the compensation if they could.
Grover Fugate, executive director of the CRMC, said if they tried to do that, Vineyard Wind would count the council’s ruling as an objection to the project. Then, Vineyard Wind could appeal the council’s decision to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and if the secretary overturns the CRMC’s ruling, commercial fishermen in the Ocean State would get nothing.
Environmentalists and trade unions spoke in support of the project too.
Amber Hewett with the National Wildlife Federation called the project “responsible” since there’s an agreement between the developer and three environmental groups, including NWF, to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales during the project’s construction.
Hewett also stressed the need for the development of renewable energy resources to address climate change.
“(Climate change is) already altering life as we know it, it’s already driving species to extinction, it’s already putting all of us at greater risk for extreme weather events, not to mention the grim outlook it presents to future generations,” Hewett said.
The CRMC will submit its certification to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) by March 1.
Massachusetts’ coastal management agency has until June to determine whether the project violates any of its policies.
In the meantime, BOEM is working on a final version of the project’s environmental impact statement expected to be completed this spring. They’re expected to make a final decision on the project this summer.
