Fishing Communities Demand Transparency After Vineyard Wind Blade Detachment
Portland, ME – Fishing community members are demanding accountability and transparency after the Vineyard Wind blade detachment disaster.
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) sent a letter to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) demanding that specific investigatory criteria are satisfied before work on Vineyard Wind resumes. The NEFSA-RODA letter attracted 1730 signatures from fishing community stakeholders.
NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman said: “Trust between fishermen and offshore wind developers is at an absolute nadir, as our joint letter with RODA relates. We remain concerned that Vineyard Wind infrastructure cannot endure the intense winter conditions to which it will soon be subject. BSEE has an opportunity to build trust by completing a fearless investigation and fully sharing its process and findings with the fisheries.”
A blade detached from one of Vineyard Wind’s GE Vernova turbines on July 13, spreading fiberglass debris across a huge swath of historic fisheries from Nantucket to Cape Cod. Vineyard Wind did not acknowledge the incident until July 15, and its early statements appear to understate the extent of the damage. NEFSA obtained photos of the detached blade which it shared with the news media.
The letter is available below.