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Released April 01, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Town and County of Nantucket, the picturesque Massachusetts island, late last week filed an appeal in a Washington, D.C., court over the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) approval of the SouthCoast offshore wind project, which is planned for a location about 20 miles from Nantucket.
At the heart of the lawsuit is Nantucket's tourist-driven economy, which some residents think would be hurt by the view of the offshore turbines. "While BOEM has admitted that the project will adversely affect Nantucket's internationally renowned historic district, which powers the Town's heritage tourism economy, Nantucket alleges that BOEM violated federal law in failing to address those harms before greenlighting the project," the town said Thursday.
The timing of approval was also cited, noting that President Donald Trump had issued a moratorium against all federal offshore wind leasing on his first day in office, while the BOEM approved the project less than two days before that.
Nantucket also claimed that BOEM failed to take account of potential accidents, noting the fallout from debris that washed ashore on the south side of island last July from a fallen turbine blade, prompting the closure of beaches. Construction of that windfarm, the Vineyard offshore windfarm, was halted, then restarted in August, and is now approaching the halfway point. The town said, "Nantucket alleges that BOEM failed to fully consider project harms, including future turbine blade failures like the disintegration that occurred in the neighboring Vineyard Wind Project during the height of tourist season in 2024, washing tons of material ashore and making international news." Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports as well as March 21, 2025, article - Wind Turbines Suffer Rash of Safety Issues.
Turbines at the Vineyard wind project are 853 feet tall, while the SouthCoast turbines are permitted to reach up to 1,066 feet.
The SouthCoast offshore windfarm would be built in two phases totaling about 2.4 gigawatts (GW). The first phase of construction would include 141 turbines and generate more than 1.2 GW. Last September, Massachusetts announced intentions of buying 1,087 megawatts (MW) of power from the project, while another 200 MW would go to Rhode Island.
The lawsuit against the windfarm, filed by Cultural Heritage Partners, the town's special counsel for offshore wind matters, states that the BOEM violated the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under the NHPA, federal agencies are required to assess and take measures to avoid, reduce, or mitigate potential damage to historic sites before approving projects that could affect them. "Despite acknowledging the adverse impacts that SouthCoast Wind and neighboring farms will have on Nantucket, BOEM violated the law by conducting a sham consulting process to achieve a predetermined conclusion, namely approval of SouthCoast Wind, effectively putting into practice a false narrative pushed by offshore wind developers that climate change solutions should come at the expense of a community's history, culture, and economy," the town said in its complaint.
In a statement issued with the town's announcement of the appeal, Nantucket Select Board Chair Brooke Mohr said, "Despite our repeated attempts to help BOEM and the developer find balance between the nation's renewable energy goals and the protection of what makes us unique, they have refused to work with us and to follow the law. We are taking action to hold them accountable. Our community should not bear the consequences of their poor planning."
The appeal, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to vacate the BOEM's decision and that the permit be remanded back to the agency for further consideration. Trump's January executive order not only halted offshore wind leasing but also set the stage to terminate or amend existing leases following a review by the Department of the Interior focusing on "the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal."
With the alleged violations of the NHPA and NEPA laws, Interior may have a leg on in regard to terminating the project, although Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (at the time Trump's nominee to head the agency) said that projects that made sense and were within law would be allowed to continue, according to the Associated Press.
Under former President Joe Biden, the BOEM permitted 11 commercial-scale offshore windfarms totaling about 19 GW of generation.
Subscribers can learn more on the SouthCoast project by viewing the related project reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
At the heart of the lawsuit is Nantucket's tourist-driven economy, which some residents think would be hurt by the view of the offshore turbines. "While BOEM has admitted that the project will adversely affect Nantucket's internationally renowned historic district, which powers the Town's heritage tourism economy, Nantucket alleges that BOEM violated federal law in failing to address those harms before greenlighting the project," the town said Thursday.
The timing of approval was also cited, noting that President Donald Trump had issued a moratorium against all federal offshore wind leasing on his first day in office, while the BOEM approved the project less than two days before that.
Nantucket also claimed that BOEM failed to take account of potential accidents, noting the fallout from debris that washed ashore on the south side of island last July from a fallen turbine blade, prompting the closure of beaches. Construction of that windfarm, the Vineyard offshore windfarm, was halted, then restarted in August, and is now approaching the halfway point. The town said, "Nantucket alleges that BOEM failed to fully consider project harms, including future turbine blade failures like the disintegration that occurred in the neighboring Vineyard Wind Project during the height of tourist season in 2024, washing tons of material ashore and making international news." Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports as well as March 21, 2025, article - Wind Turbines Suffer Rash of Safety Issues.
Turbines at the Vineyard wind project are 853 feet tall, while the SouthCoast turbines are permitted to reach up to 1,066 feet.
The SouthCoast offshore windfarm would be built in two phases totaling about 2.4 gigawatts (GW). The first phase of construction would include 141 turbines and generate more than 1.2 GW. Last September, Massachusetts announced intentions of buying 1,087 megawatts (MW) of power from the project, while another 200 MW would go to Rhode Island.
The lawsuit against the windfarm, filed by Cultural Heritage Partners, the town's special counsel for offshore wind matters, states that the BOEM violated the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under the NHPA, federal agencies are required to assess and take measures to avoid, reduce, or mitigate potential damage to historic sites before approving projects that could affect them. "Despite acknowledging the adverse impacts that SouthCoast Wind and neighboring farms will have on Nantucket, BOEM violated the law by conducting a sham consulting process to achieve a predetermined conclusion, namely approval of SouthCoast Wind, effectively putting into practice a false narrative pushed by offshore wind developers that climate change solutions should come at the expense of a community's history, culture, and economy," the town said in its complaint.
In a statement issued with the town's announcement of the appeal, Nantucket Select Board Chair Brooke Mohr said, "Despite our repeated attempts to help BOEM and the developer find balance between the nation's renewable energy goals and the protection of what makes us unique, they have refused to work with us and to follow the law. We are taking action to hold them accountable. Our community should not bear the consequences of their poor planning."
The appeal, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to vacate the BOEM's decision and that the permit be remanded back to the agency for further consideration. Trump's January executive order not only halted offshore wind leasing but also set the stage to terminate or amend existing leases following a review by the Department of the Interior focusing on "the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal."
With the alleged violations of the NHPA and NEPA laws, Interior may have a leg on in regard to terminating the project, although Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (at the time Trump's nominee to head the agency) said that projects that made sense and were within law would be allowed to continue, according to the Associated Press.
Under former President Joe Biden, the BOEM permitted 11 commercial-scale offshore windfarms totaling about 19 GW of generation.
Subscribers can learn more on the SouthCoast project by viewing the related project reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
