Left out

Left out Engage all parties when planning an offshore wind farm, attorney says

      Cape Wind, a 130-turbine offshore wind farm planned off the coast of Nantucket Sound, has taken its public relations hits from wealthy Cape Cod landowners, Native American groups and even ferry boat operators.
      The Passenger Vessel Association, which represents Nantucket Sound ferry boat operators, has recently come out against the Cape Wind project, not out of dislike for offshore renewable energy projects, but because the developer failed to take seriously the industry's concerns about vessel navigation near fixed turbine structures between Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard.
      Edmund Welch, legislative director for the Passenger Vessel Association, said Cape Wind gave ferry boat operators the 'backhand,' rather than engaging them early on in the process, and any information learned about the project had to be 'gleaned from the press and government officials.
      'The location of the 130 turbines poses an unacceptable navigation risk,' Welch said. 'Existing navigation routes should supersede new uses.'
      Lawrence Kiern, an attorney with Winston & Strawn, warned that offshore wind farm developers will cause themselves nothing but headaches by ignoring those potentially impacted by these large projects. At a recent Marine Log conference, he recommended that wind farm developers:
      ' Seek resolution with all parties that have concerns with the project.
      ' Evaluate the alternatives in the record.
      ' Avoid temptations to take short cuts.
      In particular, short cuts become 'a damning indictment against the developer in the courts. These are the kinds of mistakes that can prove deadly to a project,' Kiern said.
      'Developers have full responsibility to ensure that things are done correctly, because it's likely there will be collateral attacks in the courts,' he added.
      While not as far along in the planning process as Cape Wind, stakeholders are already lining up to voice their concerns about proposed offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes.
      U.S. and Canadian carriers say they're generally not opposed to sharing the Great Lakes with offshore wind farms, as long as the turbines don't encroach on their established vessel traffic patterns.
      'From a lakes carrier perspective, we want to make sure the wind farms don't interfere with navigation,' said Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers' Association, which represents the region's U.S.-flag vessel operators. 'What we've said is that we'd like to have a three-mile safety zone along each side of the course lines.'
      The last thing the carriers want to have to do is dodge turbines, especially if they're forced off course or seeking safe harbor due to storms. 'In heavy weather, the course lines can go out the book,' Nekvasil said.
      Bruce Bowie, president of the Canadian Shipowners Association, is concerned about offshore wind farm construction activities and the potential for supply ships moving across navigation channels. 'There would need to be a traffic control system in place to ensure that vessels associated with construction do not present a safety hazard for commercial navigation,' he said.
      Another concern for the Great Lakes carriers is how offshore wind farms will interact with winter ice conditions.
      'The proposals will have to take into account ice formations and flows experienced in the lakes during the early spring, late fall and winter navigation operations,' Bowie said. 'Sufficient buffer space will need to be provided to ensure that the wind farms do not impede icebreaking operations.'
      Bowie believes installing wind turbines in shallow water will minimize interference with vessel navigation in the Great Lakes.
      However, when asked whether the Canadian Shipowners Association has been contacted yet by any of the Great Lakes offshore wind farm developers for input, he answered 'no.'