Category Archives: Offshore

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Only the lucky severely mentally ill are court-ordered to the Hawaii State Hospital for care and treatment. This has been happening for many years.

Yet this is news to the misinformed union president who represents the fine workers at the hospital. The community has waited years for a secure hospital that protects the patients, staff and neighbors and that now sits idle.

The union has it backwards: Hawaiis correctional facilities need to take lessons from Hawaii State Hospital staff on the humane care, treatment and healing for those among us whose untreated illness has taken over their lives.

Open the new hospital now!

Pauline Arellano

Mililani

Unlock school tracks so public can use them

Regarding the article, Running has become her sanctuary (Star-Advertiser, Oct. 26): Running would be a sanctuary for many Hawaii runners like Emily Naylor if the principals at public high schools such as Kaiser, McKinley and Farrington didnt lock out the public from their newly renovated tracks, despite these renovations being funded by taxpayer money.

Steve Connell

Hawaii Kai

Hawaii needs to change policy for global travel

With international travel opening up in Hawaii and Australia shortly, my family in Australia wanted to visit us over the holidays. But after checking requirements for international travelers, they are having second thoughts.

Hawaii requires a mandatory 10-day quarantine for international travelers from all countries, except for vaccinated people from Japan, South Korea, French Polynesia and of course, the mainland. My family is fully vaccinated and they would be entering Hawaii with the federally required negative PCR test in hand. Yet, they would have to quarantine for 10 days.

So we thought we should visit them in Australia, instead. Guess what? The same illogical rule applies to Hawaii residents returning from Australia. Never mind that we are fully vaccinated. Never mind that we will have a negative test.

Time to change this policy, or Hawaiian Airlines and Qantas will need to cancel their flights between Australia and Hawaii. No Aussie tourists will come to Hawaii to quarantine for 10 days.

Shiyana Thenabadu

Kailua

Offshore wind turbines might mar scenic vista

Development of offshore wind turbine energy will certainly help in providing Hawaiis residents and businesses with electricity that is not dependent on fossil fuels.

However, should an environmental impact study be required, an issue that could arise is the effect it will have on the view of the oceans horizon. We may be forever saddled with the sight of turning blades in the foreground of a setting sun. This is certainly not the picture of Hawaii that we know and love.

Moses Akana

Aiea

First responders vaccine hesitancy is worrisome

Reading about the relatively large number of vaccine refusers among first responders sends chills down my spine.

As a resident of a large apartment complex dependent upon firefighters, Emergency Medical Service and police for a quick and reliable rescue, I dont relish the idea of guessing whether my rescuer is carrying the viral load that has a better chance of killing me than fire, illness, accident or assault.

Like other existing health exemptions, vaccine refusal must be added to the current list of reasons a would-be first responder is either physically or mentally unfit for service. As for religious exemptions, given that every major religious institution has urged adherents to be vaccinated, one can only assume that these outliers have formed their own church of noncompliance.

Perle Besserman

Kakaako

Verifying vaccine waiver seems straightforward

Regarding religious and medical exemptions from COVID-19 immunization: It seems that there should be simple solutions for certifying those who request religious or medical exemptions to being vaccinated for COVID-19.

For religious exemptions, they should present either a letter (on official letterhead) from their clergyman or show proof of having made offerings to their church, synagogue or mosque for the last six months.

For medical exemptions, they should present a letter on their physicians letterhead explaining why they cannot take the vaccine. Email proof of exemptions can be easily forged and should not be accepted.

Hugh Hazenfield

Hawaii Kai

Taxpayers on the hook for rail snafus, again

Once again, it appears that we the residents of the City and County of Honolulu will foot the bill to fix rails deficiencies when the contractors, Hitachi Rail and the one who installed the tracks should be held accountable and pay for the repairs.

Theres no mention that the city is going after the repairs under warranty or filing liquidated damages against the vendors/contractors just CEO Lori Kahikina saying that the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation issued a bid and no one responded and its undergoing procurement. At whose cost, Ms. Kahikina?

Delwyn Ching

Mililani

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Letters: State Hospital mission is vital, so open it now; Offshore wind turbines might mar scenic vista; Ve... - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

The Biden administration has announced ambitious plans to scale up leasing for offshore wind energy projects along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts. In an announcement released on Oct. 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated that it will use the best available science as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life. University of Massachusetts Boston public policy scholar David W. Cash, who worked at senior levels in state government for a decade, describes how this process works.Why Does The Biden Administration Want To Build So Much Wind Power At Sea?President Joe Biden has set a goal for the U.S. to achieve net-zero emissions economywide by 2050. That will require an unprecedented expansion of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels that release climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that U.S. offshore wind resources could provide over 2,000 gigawatts of generating capacity nearly twice as much electricity as the nation uses every year. For context, the capacity of a large fossil fuel or nuclear power plant is about 1 gigawatt.

Offshore wind has many advantages over land-based turbines. First, wind blows harder and more consistently at sea than on land. Second, coastal and Great Lakes states account for almost 80% of U.S. electricity demand, so offshore wind can supply electricity close to population centers and businesses.

This video from the United Kingdom, where offshore wind power is growing rapidly, shows how turbines are assembled at sea.

Experts say that with careful planning, offshore wind has the potential to generate jobs and economic development in historically underserved communities. It also offers oil and gas companies and their workers an opportunity to pivot to a new clean energy sector that shares some common skills and technologies.

Whats onshore is also critical. Port cities are essential to support offshore wind development. The developers also need facilities that can assemble huge towers and turbine blades and support the specialized ships that install and maintain them.

Its important to have a local manufacturing base and enough trained or trainable workers to carry out construction, operations and maintenance. And wind power developers need customers, so they will want to know whether nearby states will require their utilities to buy offshore wind electricity with long-term contracts.

BOEM has a mandate to drive energy development in federal waters while balancing multiple uses of those waters. Over the past decade, it has executed more than 20 leases and grants for offshore wind development along the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida.

When the agency considers leasing an area for development, it seeks input from groups and communities that could be affected, such as the fishing industry, marine mining companies, environmental advocates, shipping companies and coastal cities and towns. BOEM brings these groups together to collect data, map uses of the area and discuss trade-offs. The goal is to balance different ocean uses and identify potential wind lease areas that pose the fewest trade-offs.

Lobstermen attend a rally to protest Maine Gov. Janet Mills support for offshore wind projects, April 28, 2021, in Augusta, Maine.AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Agencies that regulate fisheries and marine mammals play roles in the permitting process. With smart siting and planning, I believe it should be possible to protect activities like fishing that are the lifeblood of coastal communities, and to minimize impacts on marine mammals and birds.

I also think it will be a missed opportunity if the U.S. develops a clean energy economy without addressing equity and justice. Many communities depend economically on fossil fuels, which have powered our economy for more than a century.

In my view, those states and regions should receive financial support, workforce development and training as U.S. reliance on fossil fuels declines. So should underserved communities and communities of color, which havent received many benefits from past technology shifts and have shouldered disproportionate environmental impacts from the use of oil, gas and coal.

Offshore wind development can generate conflict and require trade-offs, but there are thousands of offshore wind turbines operating safely and successfully in Europe and Asia. I also think many local officials in the U.S. see offshore wind as part of a new era of economic development.

Naturally, there will be political pushback, as is true for many new technologies that are altering our nations established fossil fuel-based economy. But as companies start building port infrastructure and hiring workers, relatively cheap electricity starts flowing and the cost of offshore wind power continues to decline, I expect both red and blue states will see more advantages than drawbacks in embracing this new industry.

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Biden Calls for a Big Expansion of Offshore Wind. Heres How Officials Decide Where the Turbines May Go - Governing

Joyce Doherty| Boston University Statehouse Program

BOSTON SouthCoast lawmakers say a bill proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker would establish Massachusetts as a leader in the wind energy sector and would be the largest investment in clean energy ever made by the commonwealth.

The offshore wind price cap will be removed and Massachusetts will invest $750 million from the American Rescue Plan Act into the commonwealths clean energy industry, according to Bakers recent proposal.

The wind price cap debate has been going on since 2016, and while it was recognized that wind energy was the way to go, the governor wanted to do so with the stipulation of a specified price, according to Rep. Chris Hendricks, D-New Bedford.

It was a short-sighted thing to be concerned about, Hendricks said. There wasnt much demand for it so the price wasnt going to be low, but over time the price did go down.

Massachusetts clung to low energy prices at the expense of missing out on invested economic development from wind companies, according to Rep. Patricia Haddad, D-Somerset. Other states such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island took to higher prices to get companies to invest.

Yes, the developers have offices in Boston, but the real job-creating parts of offshore wind have gone to New York and New Jersey, Haddad said. New York has made it clear that [investment] is part of the process. Theyve all realized that regardless they are going to get a low price because wind is just getting cheap, though wind itself is free.

Even with the price cap, Massachusetts has the largest offshore wind project in the country and has brought a unique opportunity to the Southcoast and New Bedford area, according to Hendricks.

It's an unbelievable opportunity down here, the biggest opportunity in the area in a generation or more, Hendricks said. We are focused on training a new workforce down here and there are going to be workers ready for work.

The National Offshore Wind Institute training facility in New Bedford is still under development and once opened will serve as a place to train wind workers and includes safety and technical training. The facility is a partnership between Bristol Community College -- which currently offers courses in wind engineering -- and the Denmark-based Maersk Training.

Another main provision of the bill includes a change in bid choosing power. Previously held by utility companies, it would now be in the authority of the Department of Energy Resources and utility companies would still remain part of the evaluation and selection process.

The less they pay for the power, the more they can charge for the distribution, Haddad said. Now, four years later [from the original bill] the governor is realizing that this was not a good thing and that in order to get economic development, you have to bring in the secretary of economic development.

By removing the price cap, the hope is that future bid selections will favor those that have additional benefits such as incorporating energy storage into proposed projects, according to the bill.

The new bill pushes Massachusetts forward as a leader in clean energy and continues to support development along the Bay States coast, even if the push is later than some expected.

So it was funny as Im reading [about the bill] Im laughing because its like four years behind the rest of us, Haddad said. I guess the governor is seeing the writing on the wall and knows that it is time to get on board, and that is a big deal.

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SouthCoast lawmakers respond to Gov. Baker's offshore wind bill - SouthCoastToday.com

Dominion Energy plans to install nearly 200 more ocean turbines in the next five years. (Dominion Energy)

WASHINGTON The Biden administration is making a significant push for new offshore wind development to meet ambitious climate goals, but industry leaders say they also need long-term commitments and support from Congress to reach their potential.

Leaders of the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind industry called on Congress to invest in renewables at a hearing of a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel Thursday.

The hearing comes as the Biden administration aims to ramp up offshore wind development from pilot projects to a viable power source. It is an opportunity for Democrats to address two major goals: reducing carbon emissions and creating jobs.

The Biden administration set an ambitious goal earlier this year to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade, enough to power more than 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Thats roughly the carbon equivalent of taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

The United States currently only produces 42 megawatts of power from offshore wind. The nascent industry here trails far behind Europe and Asia, where it has been developing for years and offshore wind turbines are producing 34,000 megawatts of power.

Europe has had several decades to build the infrastructure needed to support a mature offshore wind industry, and although were making considerable progress to building a U.S. supply chain, it remains a challenge that needs regulatory certainty and incentives if we want to achieve the goal of 30 gigawatts by 2030 and reach our potential, said David Hardy, CEO of Orsted Offshore North America.

Orsted, a company that started in Denmark, operates the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island and is involved in the new projects off the coast of Maryland and with Dominion Energy in Virginia.

Massive growth

The offshore wind industry is poised for massive growth over the next decade.

Dominion Energy plans to install nearly 200 more ocean turbines east of Cape Henry over the next five years. And developers have permits pending for 10 more offshore wind projects along the East Coast, from North Carolina to Maine.

Last week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced plans for her agency to hold seven new offshore lease sales by 2025, for areas in the Gulf of Maine, central Atlantic, off the coast of North and South Carolina, California, Oregon and New York.

In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order earlier this year, directing the state to strive to develop2.8 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power 700,000 homes,over the next decade, with a total of 8 gigawatts of wind power by 2040.The 8-gigawatt figure wouldgenerate 25% of the states electricity consumption.

As the industry ramps up, it is supporting inland manufacturing jobs for ships and materials, including projects already underway in Louisiana, New Jersey and Texas.

But with the steep cost of starting a project, leaders want to know they wont be subject to the political winds.

We need certainty and predictability, said Heather Zichal, the chief executive officer of the American Clean Power Association.

Specifically, the renewable energy industry wants lawmakers to support tax credits, research programs at the Department of Energy, a national offshore wind transmission plan and upgrades to ports.

House Democrats infrastructure package has incentives for offshore wind and would build out transmission lines for renewable energy, including offshore wind. Negotiators are in the process of trimming the package to lower its price tag, but Democrats at the hearing said they hope to continue to support renewables.

We cant rely on existing trends or wishful thinking to get us to net zero electricity sector emissions, and that is why investments in the Build Back Better Act are so critical in our efforts to tackle the climate crisis, said Rep. Frank Pallone, (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Offshore wind is good for workers, good for the economy and especially good for the planet, said Rep. Ann Kuster, (D-N.H.)

The U.S. offshore wind industry is a game changer for renewable energy and our efforts to combat climate change, said Rep. Mike Doyle,, (D-Pa.)

Partisan divide

But the partisan divide on investment in renewables was on display at the hearing, as Republican members of the committee complained that their panel would even consider a hearing on offshore wind at time of rising energy prices and concerns about further strain in the winter months.

While I am optimistic that technology and American ingenuity will bring advancement in offshore wind, I believe this committee should be focused on how to lower energy prices in the near term, said Rep. Fred Upton, (R-Mich.), the Republican leader of the subcommittee.

Folks, I think the windmill hearing could have waited, said Rep. Bill Johnson, (R-Ohio).

Florida Democrat Kathy Castor pushed back against that perspective, noting that the costs of climate change are also significant.

Anyone who is concerned about the rising costs and risks on American families and businesses should be pressing for ambitious investments in clean energy, Castor told her colleagues.

Hardy, the CEO of Orsted, said the investment and commitment for offshore wind needs to be for the long term.

I think it is important to recognize this is a long-term play, a long-term solution, and were making investments now that will make us competitive and less reliant on carbon fuels in the long-term, said Hardy. We are not going to solve a 2021 winter crisis with offshore wind, but we might prevent a crisis in 2026 or 2029 if we invest now.

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Offshore wind industry leaders ask Congress to back long-term plans to increase production - ncpolicywatch.com

The Royal Dutch Shell logo is seen at a Shell petrol station in London, January 31, 2008. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Oct 22 (Reuters) - Shell (RDSa.L) said on Friday it expects an offshore transfer facility, which was shut due to damage from Hurricane Ida, to be operational in the first half of November, restarting production of a popular Gulf of Mexico crude grade earlier than expected.

The oil major was the hardest-hit producer from Ida, which tore through the Gulf of Mexico in August and removed 28 million barrels from the market.

Shell previously said it expected its West Delta-143 offshore facility, which transfers oil and gas from three major fields for processing at onshore terminals, to be offline for repairs until the end of 2021.

The fields are a key source of Mars sour crude, a grade prized by oil refiners in the United States and Asia. The disruptions hampered exports and raised crude prices, as buyers searched for substitutes.

Once the WD-143 facility is operational, the Mars oil pipeline expects to resume normal services as producers ramp up production, Shell said. The pipeline was expected to be offline until early 2022.

About 200,000 to 250,000 barrels per day of oil supply from the Gulf of Mexico was expected to be affected due to damage to the facilities from Ida, Research firm Rystad Energy had said.

Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Shounak Dasgupta

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Shell expects Ida-hit offshore facility to restart in November - Reuters

A couple of weeks after an oil spill off the Orange County coast, City Councilmembers in Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach passed resolutions supporting a ban on offshore oil drilling at their meetings on Tuesday night.

In a lot of ways we dodged a bullet with this one but we cant be naive and think that this wont happen again, said Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr during the meeting.

The Huntington Beach City Council members voted 5-1 to approve a resolution supporting a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling, fracking and other well stimulation activities in federal and state waters in California.

The resolution also calls for a ban on new federal oil and gas leasing in U.S. waters.

Carr who requested the resolution along with Councilwoman Natalie Moser said she hopes the investigation examines the safety protocols surrounding the leak.

Its really disturbing to learn that there are a lot of safety precautions that were not taken, there were a lot of corners that appear to have been cut and a lot of the alarms that should have gone off, didnt go off, Carr said, thanking the council and city staff for being forward thinking.

She said there needs to be a reckoning on the importance of offshore oil drilling in the city.

We currently get around $16 million a year in [Transient Occupancy Tax] taxes from our tourism activities with the hotels, Carr said. And if you look at what we get in revenue from the oil platforms that are off our beautiful coastline, its nothing, its goose egg and if you look at what we get from the other oil activity just in Huntington Beach, its less than $700,000 a year.

The mayor acknowledged that oil still plays a role in the economy and said the city needs to look at alternative energy sources.

But not everyone backed the resolution.

Councilman Mike Posey was the dissenting vote and Councilman Erik Peterson was absent.

We dont have any jurisdiction. These leases are granted by the state or by the US government and not by Huntington Beach, Posey said, adding the city is already engaged in alternative energy by being a part of the Orange County Power Authority.

I think as technology evolves, the demand for fossil fuels will decline all on its own, driven by the marketplace, he said.

Councilwoman Barbara Delgleize challenged that notion and said the environment is being damaged while everyone waits for the market to shift.

Its time we could do better now with the technology that we have in the world, she said.

Posey also had concerns with acknowledging the economic impacts in the resolution for fear of potential lawsuit.

Other council members and residents brought up the economic impacts of the spill still being felt by some businesses.

Huntington suffered a major economic loss from this oil spill, said Grant Bixby, a real estate broker and member of the Business Alliance to Protect the Pacific Coast coalition.

Already the Pasea Hotel, waterfront hotels on [Pacific Coast Highway] saw huge losses and vacancies, Pacific city and Main Street retailers suffered, he said. It will take time to recover and it will take time till we know really the full extent.

Several residents at Tuesdays meeting voiced their support for a permanent ban on new offshore drilling some noted how lucky the city got avoiding a worse situation with greater devastation.

We got lucky at the amount of oil released, we got lucky that the beaches were only closed for eight days, we got lucky that the oil did not cause as much damage as it could have. What we all saw could have been way worse, said Richard Busch, a beach cleanup coordinator with the Surfrider Foundation.

People representing other environmental groups also spoke in support of a ban on offshore oil drilling.

Offshore drilling is dirty and dangerous and when they drill they spill. After experiencing oil spill disaster after oil spill disaster theres simply no excuse for our oceans to remain open to offshore oil drilling, said Melissa Morris, a field representative for the nonprofit Oceana.

Officials in Laguna Beach are also taking a stand against offshore drilling.

On Tuesday night, city council members voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing both current and future oil and gas drilling operations in federal and state waters off the California coast.

All five council members signed an Oct. 7 letter calling for an end to offshore oil drilling spearheaded by state lawmakers like Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton).

This formalizes what we all have been talking about and agreed to in a letter that Sen. Min asked to have signed, Mayor Bob Whalen said at the meeting.

Min and Newman are calling on Orange Countys Congressional delegation to completely end offshore drilling in federal waters.

On Monday, the city held a news conference where city, county and state officials, along with the controversial actor and environmental activist Jane Fonda spoke in support of the ban.

The oil spill, which attracted more than 10,000 people to sign up to volunteer with the clean up effort, has sparked debate on the future of offshore drilling not just at the local level but at the state level as well.

In recent days, Congress members have been debating banning offshore drilling with some arguing that a ban will harm the environment and spike energy prices.

Others say offshore drilling is a ticking time bomb and spills are inevitable if the drilling doesnt stop.

On Monday, a Congressional hearing on the spill was convened in Irvine, where Orange Countys Democratic Reps. Mike Levin and Katie Porter called for an end of drilling off the California coast and an end to taxpayer subsidies for offshore drilling.

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC News Intern. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.

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Officials From Two OC Coastal Cities Join Growing Calls to Ban Offshore Oil Drilling - Voice of OC

The Biden administration has announced ambitious plans to scale up leasing for offshore wind energy projects along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts. In an announcement released on Oct. 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated that it will use the best available science as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life. University of Massachusetts Boston public policy scholar David W. Cash, who worked at senior levels in state government for a decade, describes how this process works.

President Joe Biden has set a goal for the U.S. to achieve net-zero emissions economywide by 2050. That will require an unprecedented expansion of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels that release climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that U.S. offshore wind resources could provide over 2,000 gigawatts of generating capacity nearly twice as much electricity as the nation uses every year. For context, the capacity of a large fossil fuel or nuclear power plant is about 1 gigawatt.

The Biden administration aims to have 30 gigawatts of offshore wind operating by 2030. Today the U.S. has a fraction of that just 42 megawatts of offshore wind from five turbines off Rhode Island and two off Virginia. (A gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts.)

Offshore wind has many advantages over land-based turbines. First, wind blows harder and more consistently at sea than on land. Second, coastal and Great Lakes states account for almost 80% of U.S. electricity demand, so offshore wind can supply electricity close to population centers and businesses.

Finally, offshore wind development can revitalize coastal ports and manufacturing centers. A recent study from the University of Delaware estimates that over the next decade, offshore wind development can drive US$109 billion in economic development. This means it can support the Biden administrations twin energy and equity goals.

Experts say that with careful planning, offshore wind has the potential to generate jobs and economic development in historically underserved communities. It also offers oil and gas companies and their workers an opportunity to pivot to a new clean energy sector that shares some common skills and technologies.

Obviously, you need a site where winds blow consistently at sufficient speeds. And its best if offshore wind generation wont conflict with other uses of the ocean, such as fishing and shipping routes.

Whats onshore is also critical. Port cities are essential to support offshore wind development. The developers also need facilities that can assemble huge towers and turbine blades and support the specialized ships that install and maintain them.

Its important to have a local manufacturing base and enough trained or trainable workers to carry out construction, operations and maintenance. And wind power developers need customers, so they will want to know whether nearby states will require their utilities to buy offshore wind electricity with long-term contracts.

Offshore wind farms are large, complex projects, and many state and federal agencies are involved. For any site in federal waters more than 3 miles out from shore the Interior Departments Bureau of Ocean Energy Management oversees and coordinates permitting.

BOEM has a mandate to drive energy development in federal waters while balancing multiple uses of those waters. Over the past decade, it has executed more than 20 leases and grants for offshore wind development along the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida.

When the agency considers leasing an area for development, it seeks input from groups and communities that could be affected, such as the fishing industry, marine mining companies, environmental advocates, shipping companies and coastal cities and towns. BOEM brings these groups together to collect data, map uses of the area and discuss trade-offs. The goal is to balance different ocean uses and identify potential wind lease areas that pose the fewest trade-offs.

I have questions about how these projects may affect marine ecosystems, bird populations and whale migration patterns. Scientists have studied these issues in Europe, and U.S. researchers and environmental groups are also analyzing them.

Agencies that regulate fisheries and marine mammals play roles in the permitting process. With smart siting and planning, I believe it should be possible to protect activities like fishing that are the lifeblood of coastal communities, and to minimize impacts on marine mammals and birds.

I also think it will be a missed opportunity if the U.S. develops a clean energy economy without addressing equity and justice. Many communities depend economically on fossil fuels, which have powered our economy for more than a century.

In my view, those states and regions should receive financial support, workforce development and training as U.S. reliance on fossil fuels declines. So should underserved communities and communities of color, which havent received many benefits from past technology shifts and have shouldered disproportionate environmental impacts from the use of oil, gas and coal.

Many people see offshore drilling as a threat to the environment. They worry about events like the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and the spill that just occurred in October 2021 off the coast of southern California.

Offshore wind development can generate conflict and require trade-offs, but there are thousands of offshore wind turbines operating safely and successfully in Europe and Asia. I also think many local officials in the U.S. see offshore wind as part of a new era of economic development.

Naturally, there will be political pushback, as is true for many new technologies that are altering our nations established fossil fuel-based economy. But as companies start building port infrastructure and hiring workers, relatively cheap electricity starts flowing and the cost of offshore wind power continues to decline, I expect both red and blue states will see more advantages than drawbacks in embracing this new industry.

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Biden calls for a big expansion of offshore wind here's how officials decide where the turbines may go - The Conversation US

NEW BEDFORD Six regional higher education institutions have joined forces for the future of offshore wind education and training.

CONNECT, a Southeastern Massachusetts public higher education partnership, has turned its attention to offshore wind development. On Tuesday,Bridgewater State University, Cape Cod Community College and Massasoit Community College signedthe CONNECT4Wind Memorandum of Understandingto join three existing institutionsthat support the development of the SouthCoast's offshore wind sector. The signing coincided with Massachusetts STEM Week, running from Oct.18 to Oct. 22.

In 2018, Bristol Community College, Massachusetts Maritime Academy and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth signed the CONNECT4Wind MOUcelebrating their long-term commitment to sharing resources and collaborating on the development of curriculum and programs centered on the offshore wind energy sector, according to Bristol CC. At that time, it was the first time three institutions had entered a cross-collaborative agreement of its kind. Now, three other regional institutions have joined them.

Up to two years of free college credits?How this proposed charter school aims to do it

Bristol CC's National Offshore Wind Institute (NOWI), located on Herman Melville Boulevard, will provide health and safety training, such as Global Wind Organization training, customized training for developers, original equipment manufacturers and supply chain, and a virtual training program, all supporting the needs of theoffshore wind sector, according to Bristol CC President Dr. Laura L Douglas.

'The future is now': Wind turbine firm seeks collaborations with New Bedford businesses

Equipment such as a deep water training pool for sea survival and climbing towers will simulate a "real world environment" preparing workers for challenging and dynamic environments.

In addition, Bristol CC's NOWI and MaerskTraining support career and edu pathways complemented by itsoffshore wind technician program give students the proper training for the emerging workforce.

"We're joined by higher education to collaborate on development of curriculum and programs that will ensure the level of a vibrant and sustainable regional industry," Douglas said. "The signing of MOU between CONNECT will be the first time all sixinstitutions have entered into a cross-collaborative agreement of this kind."

Ray DiPasquale, president of Massasoit Community College, noted that sixinstitutions coming together over a shared agreement is rare.

"All of us working together, the way we are, it doesn't happen this way, it just doesn't," DiPasquale said. "[This program is] bringing together presidents from very different colleges, not to compete against each other, but to work together to make our state and our region stronger."

DiPasquale, who is starting his presidency, said hecan't think of any better way than to bring new jobs and new energy.

Frederick Clark Jr., president ofBridgewater State University, compared the union of institutions to the Boston Red Sox's success.

"We win as a team because no one institution can solve the issues in Southeastern Massachusetts," Clark said. "Thanks to our playercoach, Laura Douglas, today we hit a grand slam of impact in addressing the needs of the wind industry."

Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, president ofMassachusetts Maritime Academy, was pleased to have three other institutions join them in working toward a more offshore wind-focused future.

"We have done that maritime thing for well over a 100 years, but we've also done that energy thing, producing ship engineers first and then power plant and energy engineers," McDonald said."This offshore wind is really the nexus of those two industries, and we feel like we are well-positioned to really serve the commonwealth in that regard."

'A perfect location':: Baker, officials tout offshore wind workforce at New Bedford terminal

McDonald added that while higher education serves recent high school graduates, it will exposestudents in grades Kindergarten through 12 to the field, specifically those from the gateway cities of Fall River and New Bedford. He pointed out that generally, the maritime industry is mostly white males. By joining forces with other institutions, it can dig deeper into communities and expose the opportunity to other demographics.

"This will act as an engine of social mobility, that's really where the rubber meets the road," he said.

Dr. Mark Fuller, chancellor ofUMass Dartmouth, said that a complex industry like offshore windneeds "thoughtful, sustained efforts and close partnerships across academia, businesses and government to be successful."

To date, UMass Dartmouthhas received $8.1M in research funding in relation to offshore windand will continue to build on this momentum.

In the near future, Cape Cod CC will be expanding its power plant education and aviation maintenance tech program to include increased turbine focus. In Fall 2022, the institution will be opening its doors as the center of STEM education on the Cape.

"We're meeting our region's workforce education needs, supporting offshore wind, the blue economy and STEM while creating a trajectory for career success and growth within our region," saidJohn Cox, president of Cape Cod Community College of creating equity and access to economic opportunities.

Clark added that with this newly developed team of presidents, "whatever we do together, we're working open doors of opportunity for the students that we are so privileged to serve. The future of higher education is collaboration."

Representative Patricia A. Haddad, along with speakers Senator Marc R. Pacheco and Representative Antonio F. D. Cabral, shared their stories of how they have been pushing for legislation and any movement in support of offshore wind development during their political campaigns.

Standard-Times staff writer Kerri Tallmancan be reached at ktallman@s-t.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kerri_tallmanfor links to recent articles.

Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

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Six higher ed institutions join forces to train students for offshore wind jobs - SouthCoastToday.com

by Leslie Landrigan

The Maine Lobstering Union (MLU) convinced a judge on October 16 to block the scheduled three-month closure of nearly a thousand square miles of prime lobstering grounds in the Gulf of Maine.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration planned the closure to start October 18, as part of a new regulation to protect the estimated 368 Atlantic right whales left on the planet. The closure would take place every year, from October 1 to December 31, under the rule.

The MLU argued that theres no hard data to show that closing the fishing groundsthe offshore zonewould save any whales. U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker sided with the union.

These findings related to right whale migratory patterns do not appear to justify the closure of LMA 1 [the offshore zone] because they do not demonstrate an overlap of the fisheries and large whales in space and time, he wrote in his decision.

Ginny Olsen, MLUs executive liaison and political director, put it another way.

This closure could be on I-95 and it would save as many whales, she said.

Walker issued an injunction to keep the offshore zone open until the end of MLUs lawsuit, unless NOAA appeals it, according to Alfred Frawley, plaintiffs lawyer, in an email. The MLU challenges the offshore zones annual closure, which is part of the broader whale-protection rule.

This victory by the Maine Lobstering Union is a significant step in protecting one of Maines most precious industrieslobstering, Frawley said in a statement.

Allison Ferreira, NOAA spokesperson, said in an email, NOAA Fisheries is currently evaluating the ruling and its potential impacts.

Lawsuits, lawsuits, lawsuits

The MLUs lawsuit, though, is just one of several attacking the federal whale-protection rule. The rule also requires costly changes to lobster-fishing gear, and it takes effect in May.

The Maine Lobstermens Association in September filed a lawsuit seeking to strike down the rule in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The MLA also filed an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief in support of the MLU lawsuit.

On the other side, in September, opponents of rope fishing filed a court challenge to the rule, claiming it doesnt go far enough to protect right whales. That case, CBD v. Ross, is also in U.S. District Court, and the MLA, MLU and Gov. Janet Mills are intervenors.

MLUs Olsen sees the litigation as a 10-year battle to preserve Maines lobster industry. The recent filing just to get the injunction will probably end up costing between $100,000 and $150,000, she said. To raise money for ongoing litigation, the MLU formed a 501(c)(4), Sustainable Maine Fishing Foundation. The MLA also has a legal defense fund.

We want to save the whales and we want to save them where they are, Olsen said. But we have an iconic fishery and we need protection, too.

No whale sightings

Local fishermen have said for years that they see no right whales in the Gulf of Maine. It just falls on deaf ears, Olsen said in a phone interview.

Olsen said she spent a week collecting the governments own data about right whales for MLUs lawyers. She went to Bangor for the hearing on Friday, October 15.

I was so excited to see Judge Walker was getting ithe was getting the information, he was asking the right questions, the questions you hope hed ask, she said.

What Walker got was that the right whale doesnt travel in the offshore zone, according to the National Marine Fisheries Services own Biological Opinion. The Biological Opinion forms the basis for the regulation.

Birthday gift

Saturday, October 16, was Ginny Olsens birthday. I had my phone in my hand and probably looked at it every eight minutes, hoping and hoping it [the decision] would be today, she said. It was 5 p.m. and I thought, Were not going to get it.

Olsen then left for her birthday party at a boat builders house. She wasnt there for five minutes when she got the news about the U.S. District Courts birthday giftthe injunction. Everyone there was just as relieved as I was, she said.

Walkers ruling came at the beginning of the most lucrative part of the fishing season. He noted, in fact, that NOAAs scheduled closure is perfectly timed to ruin a fishing season, at least for the substantial lot of license holders who work these grounds.

The Damon Family Lobster Company of Stonington is also a plaintiff in the suit, which was filed by the Portland, Maine, law firm of McCloskey, Mina, Cunniff & Frawley.

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Judge halts closure of offshore zone to lobstering - Island Ad-Vantages

LocalIn this Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, a lift boat, right, that serves as a work platform, assembles a wind turbine off Block Island, R.I. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

Offshore wind developments could save residents billions in energy costs down the line, but small-scale fishermen are calling out our limited understanding of how they could impact fishing and marine habitats.

Vineyard Wind, a development off the coast of Marthas Vineyard, is a key part of President Joe Bidens renewable energy plan. The 800-megawatt project would be the first utility-scale wind development in federal waters, and is anticipated to cost nearly $3 billion. According to the project website, it will generate clean, renewable, affordable energy for over 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts and reduce carbon emissions by over 1.6 million tons per year.

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), a coalition of fishing groups and businesses, told the Associated Press in May that the growth of offshore wind developments could make it difficult to harvest species like scallops, lobsters, squid, and more.

For the past decade, fishermen have participated in offshore wind meetings whenever they were asked and produced reasonable requests only to be met with silence, said Anne Hawkins, RODAs executive director. From this silence now emerges unilateral action and a clear indication that those in authority care more about multinational businesses and energy politics than our environment, domestic food sources, or U.S. citizens.

A recent WBUR piece dove into the issue, profiling David Aripotch, 65, an independent, regional fisherman. Hes been fishing for almost 50 years he bought his first boat in high school and has weathered changes in fishing quotas and the many expenses of running his operation.

Theres so many things going against you as a commercial fisherman in the United States, he said. And now these wind farms, its almost like thats the final nail in the coffin.

Aripotch is concerned about where the turbines go and how far apart they are. For example, the Vineyard Wind project sits in an area commonly fished for longfin squid and scallops and, after an extensive community process, will place turbines one nautical mile apart.

Aripotchs net can trail up to 1,500 feet behind the boat, and shredded nets are expensive to replace. One nautical mile is equal to about 6,000 feet, but he thinks maneuvering around a turbine would be nearly impossible.

Theyre talking about putting the majority of this garbage in that area, and I need all the grounds I got now to make a living, Aripotch told WBUR. To say that we can just fish in the wind farms, thats a fallacy. It is not going to happen.

Hawkins told the Guardian in July that RODA has seen less engagement with fisherman since the start of the Biden administration.

It certainly has the appearance of [developers] thinking theyre going to be all right no matter what, she said. The fishing industry feels very strongly that they still do not have a meaningful voice in the process nor an authentic seat at the table.

Fishermen also point to the lack of research into the long-term effects of wind development on the ocean environment, such as construction noise driving fish away, foundations becoming artificial reefs that alter species distribution, and altering the mid-Atlantic cold pool, a large swath of cold water near the seafloor that allows numerous species to thrive.

Aran Mooney, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, told the Guardian that the long-term environmental impacts of large offshore wind developments have not been well researched in the U.S.

There is an OK amount of research funding going into this, but there certainly needs to be more to get at these bigger questions, Mooney said.

Though current regulations will allow fishing around wind developments, fishermen are worried they are just one boat wreck away from a ban and believe the government has underestimated the value of fishing grounds to get on with projects.

Many fishermen will not see a big impact, but fishermen who do may see a very large impact, Chris McGuire, director of the marine program of the Nature Conservancys Massachusetts chapter, told WBUR. Thats a hard part about this. You hear disparate opinions. And I think this is one of those situations where theyre all true depending on where you sit.

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Small-scale fishermen sound the alarm at plans for offshore wind farms - Boston.com