Martha’s Vineyard wind project delayed again

By Colin A. Young State House News Service

BOSTON — The project that has been eyed as the first utility-scale offshore wind development in the country was dealt a blow from the federal government Tuesday and Vineyard Wind no longer expects that its 800-megawatt project, chosen to deliver Massachusetts clean, renewable power, will become operational by 2022.

The Trump administration, which lawmakers and some in the energy world have accused of being prejudiced against wind developments, on Tuesday announced a new — and longer-than-anticipated — timeline for the ongoing federal review of the Vineyard Wind project and the offshore wind sector generally. The new timeline, the developer said, puts another planned milestone out of reach.

“We have received updated information from the Department of Interior that indicates the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Vineyard Wind I project will be published later than what was previously anticipated,” Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Pedersen said in a statement. “While we need to analyze what a longer permitting timeline will mean for beginning construction, commercial operation in 2022 is no longer expected. We look forward to the clarity that will come with a final EIS so that Vineyard Wind can deliver this project to Massachusetts and kick off the new US offshore energy industry.”

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) sent shockwaves through the industry in August with its plan to hold off on developing the final environmental impact statement for Vineyard Wind — the Massachusetts-contracted project that has been in line to be the first major offshore wind farm in the country — while it studies the wider impacts of a sector that is hoping to ramp up in Northeast and mid-Atlantic waters also used by the fishing sector.

On Tuesday, BOEM published a new “one federal decision permitting timeline,” which envisions the issuance of a decision for permit approval by Dec. 18, 2020. Before the feds launched the broad review of wind projects, a decision on permit approval had been expected by Aug. 16, 2019.

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Vineyard Wind had originally planned to financially close on its project and begin on-shore construction work in 2019, put the first turbine into the seabed in 2021 and have the 84-turbine wind farm generating electricity in 2022.

Officials from Vineyard Wind, a joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables seeking to build an 84-turbine wind farm 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, had said in July that the entire project would be at risk if the federal government did not issue the project’s final environmental impact statement by the end of August. Since then, the company affirmed its commitment to the project “albeit with a delayed project schedule.”

Vineyard Wind officials said Tuesday the company remains committed to being the first large-scale offshore wind project in the country and is in close contact with the utility companies it is under contract with about any impacts the federal review could have on the project.

The company has also been communicating with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to discuss the possibility of preserving eligibility for a key tax credit for Vineyard Wind and any other project that is similarly held up due to unforeseen regulatory actions.

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How’s this for a spring volunteer job–Counting eels plucked from the Hudson?

Our reaction: Ewwww! But maybe you’ll like it

One little eel, two little eels…

From the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Are you looking for an outdoor volunteer opportunity? The Hudson River Eel Project is seeking community members to help study eels in streams of the Hudson River estuary. The American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a migratory fish, is hatched in the Atlantic Ocean and enters North American estuaries, including the Hudson River, as tiny, see-through “glass eels” each spring.

As a volunteer, you will work in a team with scientists to collect these eels from specialized nets, count the fish one-by-one, weigh them in groups, and release them to habitat upstream. You will also help collect and record water temperature and water-quality data. 

Eels are counted in 15 streams from Staten Island to Troy. The fieldwork takes place from March through May, and schedules are flexible. Training and all gear are provided. 

For more information, visit DEC’s website or e-mail: eelproject@dec.ny.gov.

We’re always looking for stories that might interest our readers. If you come across something so interesting that it cries out to be shared, please send it to editor@enviropolitics.com  If we agree, you’ll see it here soon.   

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EPA proposes yet another cut to waste minimization and recycling budget

The Trump administration’s proposed budget would add new grant programs, but significantly shrink sustainable materials management funding.

Cole Rosengren reports for WasteDive

The U.S. EPA’s recently proposed FY21 budget calls for a nearly 53% reduction in funding dedicated to the agency’s waste minimization and recycling work, despite ongoing public promises to help address national recycling challenges.

As outlined, the annual budget for this area under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) would decline by nearly $9 million and be offset by $4.25 million in new initiatives. Staffing levels would shrink from 43.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff to 5 FTE. The EPA says its proposal “refocuses the Program from efforts in Sustainable Materials Management to the priority areas of recycling and food waste and loss.” 

The Trump administration has sought to drastically reduce the EPA’s budget before, but is annually rebuffed by Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi already indicated the administration’s new broader budget proposal will face a similar reaction this year.

The FY21 proposal also includes a large reduction to related RCRA waste management work, but the requested recycling cuts are in some ways more notable when it comes to agency messaging. For the past three budget years (FY18, FY19 and FY20), the EPA has proposed a complete elimination of the RCRA waste minimization and recycling program.

Traditionally, EPA has justified the cuts by arguing state and local governments could continue similar work, even though many other environmental agencies face their own funding constraints. This year the agency altered that approach, indicating EPA wants to more generally shift resources away from sustainable materials management (SMM) projects.

SMM, a lifecycle thinking concept elevated within the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) during the Obama administration, is often raised by both appointees and career staff as a foundational element of their work. SMM was most recently cited as a priority to Waste Dive last fall by EPA officials and mentioned by OLEM Assistant Administrator Peter Wright in a House subcommittee hearing just last week. 

Asked to explain this implied policy shift, an EPA spokesperson told Waste Dive the agency’s position has not changed. They pointed to upcoming events around SMM and ongoing planning for 2020 America Recycles Week activities. “The Administration’s 2021 budget request marks a significant commitment to this priority area by requesting more funding than last year’s request,” the spokesperson said via email.

While the agency’s $4.25 million request for new initiatives is notable – especially when compared to last year’s request for fully eliminating the program with no offset funding – it is still a significant reduction when balanced out by the nearly $9 million in proposed cuts.

Read the full story

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Agriculture bills in committee in Trenton

The New Jersey Assembly’s Agriculture Committee will meet tomorrow, February 13, at 10 a.m. on the 4th Floor of the State House Annex, in Committee Room 15.

The committee will consider;
 A2773Allows certain preserved farms to hold 14 special occasion events per year; imposes further event restrictions on residentially-exposed preserved farms.
 A2774Provides that the executive director of the State Agriculture Development Committee is appointed by Governor.
 A2775Extends pilot program authorizing special occasion events at wineries on preserved farmland.
 ACR117Determines that the State Agriculture Development Committee’s rule to implement a pilot program allowing certain wineries to hold special events is inconsistent with legislative intent.

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Would you like to serve on the DRBC’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change?

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is looking for individuals with relevant expertise to fill several non-reserved positions on its newly-formed Advisory Committee on Climate Change (ACCC).

The nine non-reserved members will represent the following stakeholder categories:

  • Academic or Research Institutions
  • Watershed or Environmental Organizations
  • Business or Industry
  • Water or Wastewater Utilities

The members will be appointed by the DRBC’s Executive Director; preference shall be given to individuals actively working on climate change impacts, preferably in the Delaware River Basin.

If Interested in a Non-Reserved Member Position on the ACCC:

  • Please submit your resume and a letter of interest by Friday, February 28, 2020.
  • For questions and to submit resumes, please email Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, P.E., committee liaison.

Full details are available here

We’re always looking for information that might benefit our readers. If you come across something that cries out to be shared, please send it to editor@enviropolitics.com  If we agree, you’ll see it here soon.   

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