South Fork Offshore Wind Project

U.S. offshore wind turbines - credit: BOEM

In February 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony celebrated progress of the South Fork wind energy project. South Fork is the second commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project approved for federal waters in the United States.

The South Fork project will be located offshore Rhode Island and New York and have a capacity of 130 megawatts of wind energy.

In November 2021, the Department of the Interior announced the approval of the construction and operation of the South Fork wind project.

The South Fork project is expected to directly support approximately 165 jobs over the two-year construction period and approximately 10 long-term jobs during the operations and maintenance period. The project will also support jobs in the supply chain and service industries.

South Fork Wind Project Highlights:

On January 4, 2021, BOEM released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project was published on August 16, 2021.

On January 18, 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved the Construction and Operations Plan for the South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project.

South Fork's offshore wind turbines will be located offshore Rhode Island and New York and have a capacity of 130 megawatts of wind energy.

Offshore Wind Power Facts

In 2022, the U.S. Federal government set a national offshore wind energy goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

BOEM expects to complete the review of at least 16 plans to construct and operate commercial offshore wind energy facilities by 2025.

BOEM expects to hold lease sales in the New York Bight and offshore the Carolinas and California in 2022.

The U.S. Federal government is actively working with states, Tribes, ocean users, and key stakeholders to explore wind potential in the Gulf of Maine and in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as offshore Oregon and Hawaii.

In 2020, the U.S. offshore wind energy project development and operational pipeline grew to a potential generating capacity of 35,324 megawatts (MW). Capacity increased by 24% 2020, up from 28,521 MW in 2019

As of 2022, two U.S. offshore wind energy projects are in operation: the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) and the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project (12 MW).

In the New England Region, Vineyard Wind 1 is fully approved, has received all permits, an offtake contract to sell the power, and an interconnection agreement to deliver it to the grid.

The U.S. offshore wind industry has the potential to generate more than $100 billion in revenue to businesses in the supply chain over the next decade.

The United States Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) provides the locations of land-based and offshore wind turbines in the United States, corresponding wind project information, and turbine technical specifications. 

Offshore wind power turbine platforms provide habitat for fish and marine life.

Rotating wind turbines are known to pose a hazard to birds. Proposals have included locating marine wind power components along important bird migration routes.

Offshore wind power infrastructure can conflict with existing marine activity. Commercial fishermen and other mariners complain that wind power facilities can block or restrict access to prime fishing areas.

Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently announced the availability of Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment grants.

2013 grants will focus on long term conservation of the state’s wild salmon strongholds, which represent some of Oregon’s most productive and intact aquatic ecosystems and sustain the state’s largest and most diverse runs of salmon and other native aquatic species.

Oregon’s seven recognized strongholds include: the Tillamook/Nehalem, Illinois, North Umpqua, Sandy/Clackamas, Lower Deschutes, North Fork John Day, and Lower Grand Ronde (Joseph Creek, Minam River, and Wenaha River) watersheds. Salmon populations found in these systems support a variety of recreational, commercial, and Tribal fisheries.

Grant proposals requesting up to $75,000 in grant funds are being invited to support two types of projects in and across the state’s seven salmon strongholds:

1) on-the-ground habitat improvements in strongholds;

2) programmatic activities that seek to prevent the continued loss and degradation of habitats.

All projects must address the key limiting factors or threats that have been identified in existing watershed plans or assessments as bottlenecks to salmonid abundance. Approximately $300,000 in grant funds is anticipated to be awarded through this grant round.

Pre-proposals should be submitted by November 28, 2012 through NFWF’s online application system, Easygrants. Pre-proposals will be evaluated and ranked, and the strongest projects will be invited to submit full proposals due on January 31, 2013.
Full proposal applicants will be notified of grant awards by April 2013, with funds available for projects shortly thereafter. Approved projects should be completed within two years.

Eligible applicants include non-profit conservation organizations, watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, tribes, schools, local, state and federal government agencies, and other special districts.

Applicants should log onto NFWF’s Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment program webpage at www.nfwf.org/orgovfund to review proposal criteria and requirements and to submit a pre-proposal.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

ASMFC Offshore Wind Habitat Management Series

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recently announced the availability of the latest installment of the Habitat Management Series, entitled "Offshore Wind in My Backyard?"

With the accelerating development of offshore wind power, the Commission's Habitat Committee developed a concise report to outline general considerations that should be made when providing comment on proposed offshore wind projects.

The report focuses on habitat issues that are broadly applicable along the Atlantic seaboard for the siting, construction, and monitoring of offshore wind facilities.

The environmental issues associated with developing a wind facility are outlined and recommendations are offered on how to offset identified impacts.

The document is available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News

or by visiting: http://www.asmfc.org/publications/habitat/hms11OffshoreWindinMyBackyard_August2012.pdf

According to ASMFC, the report will continue to be updated as new sources of information become available.

2011 Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) Conference

The 2011 Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) Conference will be held from 24-26 May, 2011 at the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa on Mission Bay in San Diego, California.

The 2011 Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) Conference is being organized by the California Shore and Beach Preservation Association, California Coastal Coalition, Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, Society of Wetland Scientists - Western Chapter and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Program.

The conference will cover a wide spectrum of coast and ocean issues.

Americas Great Waters

On World Water Day (March 22, 2011), America’s Great Waters Coalition designated nine new Great Waters, including the Albemarle Pamlico Sound, Colorado River, Delaware River, Galveston Bay, Missouri River, Narragansett Bay, New York/New Jersey Harbor, Ohio River, and the Rio Grande.

With intense disagreement on funding levels for fiscal year 2011, funding for critical restoration projects is at risk. The Coalition is advocating that decision makers support restoration efforts for America’s waterways that are critical to local economies and way of life for communities nationwide.

“Cuts now will cost us later,” said Roy A. Hoagland, co-chair for the America’s Great Waters Coalition and vice president at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “The longer we wait to invest in restoring our nation's Great Waters – whether it be the Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, Great Lakes, Long Island Sound, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, the Gulf of Mexico or others – the more we will have to pay to achieve healthy ecosystems. It is frightening to consider the impacts that major funding cuts would have on the health of our Great Waters.”

While the Great Waters vary in geographic location and physical characteristics, they are plagued by similar problems such as toxic pollution, altered water flows, habitat loss and destruction, invasive species, and more.  However, across the country, restoration efforts funded by the federal government are producing on-the-ground results.

The Great Waters Coalition is a diverse array of more than 50 local, regional, and national organizations that believe that speaking with a united voice and working together will help nationalize Great Waters’ priorities, and will bring more strength to each region’s restoration efforts.

For more information, visit: www.nwf.org/greatwaters