17 North Beach Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
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High Wind Warning
One hundred and sixty turbines, 1,312 feet tall, are planned for Nantucket.
HISTORY & POLITICS
story by Antonia DePace
The voices in opposition of the wind farm are growing in velocity. While the proponents of the wind farm stand by their position that their effects will be minimal on the environment, ACK for Whales is coming from a very different direction. According to Vallorie Oliver, President of ACK for Whales, “The environmental damage that will result from Vineyard Offshore’s own described construction processes is decimating our seabed with trenching, drilling, pile driving and cable laying.” In late April, it was announced by ACK for Whales that yet another offshore power plant began permitting in full view of Nantucket’s beaches from Low Beach to Madaket—only this time, Vineyard Northeast planned on using turbines 53 percent taller than those in view now. To be exact, the up to 160 turbines will be approximately 1,312 feet tall, according to the first of two virtual scope meetings BOEM held. “It’s a very complex conversation,” says Amy DiSibio, a member of ACK for Whales, of the entire topic. She notes that in addition to the project equating to decades of construction out in the ocean, there could be a total of 775 out of approximately 1,400 turbines visible from Nantucket at the end of completion according to public record. “It is a huge slam to Nantucket, to a National Historic Landmark.
It is a huge slam to the environment to do this,” she adds. According to the newsletter sent out by ACK for Whales, the National Academy of Sciences prepared a report on the projected ecological impact of the project on the water that surrounds Nantucket, which mostly states how the total implications are unknown due to the fact that there have yet to be other completed projects of this scale. Even so, it is clear that this could affect a variety of topics important to the island: tourism, which is Nantucket’s entire economy, and the protection of the North Atlantic Whale, among other things. DiSibio concludes, “Nantucket is a National Historic Landmark and it's our responsibility to defend it.” The turbines were said to be virtually invisible from Nantucket, but the first 10 from the Vineyard Wind 1 Project are clearly seen from Madaket and Cisco Beaches, particularly at night, as well as Tom Nevers and the ferry. It is important to note that the closest turbines have yet to be installed. Let’s hope that the promises related to no impact on whales and other mammal life hold more water.
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