Nantucket Pushes Back Against Offshore Wind Developer

Clear Facts

• Nantucket officials accused Vineyard Wind of breaking its agreement with the island community and demanded accountability over offshore wind development.
• Concerns escalated after a recent wind turbine blade failure, delayed notification, and ongoing lack of transparency from Vineyard Wind.
• Town leaders are considering all options, short of litigation, if the company fails to address 15 formal demands by August 12.

In 2020, Nantucket entered into a Good Neighbor Agreement with Vineyard Wind, a company constructing a 62-turbine offshore wind farm near the island. The agreement required Vineyard Wind to maintain consistent, transparent communication with local government. Now, Nantucket’s Select Board says the company has disregarded these promises.

The Biden administration approved the project in 2021, calling it the first of its kind for U.S. waters and the start of a planned rapid expansion of offshore wind energy. But problems soon surfaced. In July 2023, a 350-foot turbine blade from the project catastrophically failed and crashed into the sea. Vineyard Wind did not notify Nantucket for three days, by which time debris had already begun washing ashore, disrupting the island’s summer tourism season and polluting local beaches.

Local leaders and residents view this delayed response as part of a pattern of broken promises and evasiveness. At a press conference earlier this week, the Nantucket Select Board delivered a stern ultimatum to Vineyard Wind: address a list of 15 demands, or face consequences from the community.

“Since the immediate aftermath of the blade failure and since the last presidential election, Vineyard Wind’s leadership has essentially gone into hiding. We believe that they are concerned about the change in policy at the federal level, and drawing scrutiny from the new administration, which has ordered a review of offshore wind permitting practices,” said Board Member Brook Mohr.

Mohr emphasized that Vineyard Wind failed to notify the town about both the blade failure and a subsequent lightning strike on the same turbine. “They leave our community vulnerable to future project failures,” she stated. “When confronted about these failures, Vineyard Wind has pointed a finger at everyone but themselves, blaming subcontractors, [blade manufacturer] GE Vernova, federal regulators. They even blame Nantucket and the ocean. That is not leadership.”

Mohr further criticized the company’s lack of transparency on environmental consequences and emergency plans, noting, “The town also filed a Freedom of Information Act request, and learned that the federal government was in possession of documents related to the analysis, but Vineyard Wind declared them private … This is unacceptable. So today, we say either step up or step out of our community and the waters off our shore, to Vineyard Wind’s investors and to its owners.”

The board’s letter to Vineyard Wind set an August 12 deadline for the developer to address the community’s demands. If unmet, Nantucket leaders say all options are on the table—though litigation is not favored given the high bar for legal success.

Greg Werkheiser, special counsel for the town on offshore wind issues, said during the press conference that the town would need to weigh all next steps but acknowledged, “We hope that Vineyard Wind recognizes that it is in the company’s own best interest to fulfill its promises and obligations to Nantucket.” He was clear, however, that federal law gives the town little leverage over these projects and that prior lawsuits have failed.

The Good Neighbor Agreement itself is now a matter of debate. Board member Dawn Hill stated that the turbine project is far more obtrusive than the simulations presented at the time: “These wind turbines are bigger, brighter, and much more impactful than we ever thought, and not to mention the environmental hazard from failures. But my choice would be with our new federal administration to really wake up and try and put an end to these things, because they’re not, they’re not worth it to the coast of the United States.”

Activists and board members alike are now divided over the value of the agreement. Amy DiSibio, from the nonprofit Ack 4 Whales, told reporters, “We’re not even in the building, much less at the table.” She and others question whether the agreement ever provided meaningful local oversight.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s preferential treatment for the offshore wind industry appears to be winding down. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management recently rescinded further areas for offshore wind development, although existing projects like Vineyard Wind are not affected. Nantucket also recently accepted a $10.5 million settlement with the blade manufacturer, but some believe Vineyard Wind is being let off too easily for the environmental and community impact.

As the Select Board continues to press for answers, uncertainty remains about the project’s future. The core demand: for developers to honor their commitments, respect the community, and be honest about environmental and economic consequences for American towns.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Source