Wondering about wind farm plans east of Cape Cod? There's a public meeting coming up
Federal plans to open up the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind production — including in ocean areas directly east of the outermost Cape towns — will be the topic of discussion at a public information session in Eastham on Wednesday.
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the state Division of Marine Fisheries are hosting the session with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management at the Four Points by Sheraton, 3800 State Highway, Eastham, 6-8 p.m.
A Bureau of Ocean Energy Management spokesperson said the event will be in-person only, but noted there are recordings of recent virtual meetings with the same information at tinyurl.com/gulfofmainewindinfo for those unable to attend.
Legislators push for local involvement
Late last month, state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Provincetown, said he and state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, were pushing for the federal agency to expand its outreach to include public sessions for residents of the easternmost Cape Cod towns to learn more about the plans and ask questions. Up until now, he said, the closest session was held in Plymouth.
The legislators are also working to ensure the outermost Cape towns, such as Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet, are part of the discussion and residents are kept well-informed.
He and Peake have already held a virtual session of their own with town managers and Select Board members from Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown so they could learn more about the plans.
What's proposed for offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine?
On April 30, the Interior Department announced its proposal for the first-ever offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine.
Eight potential lease areas are proposed in the Gulf of Maine totaling nearly one million acres of water. Three of them, totaling 363,305 acres, are due east of Wellfleet and Truro starting about 24 miles offshore and stretching eastward. Three others are due east of Boston, beyond the eastern boundary of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay, and two are due east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and southeast of Portland, Maine.
"In identifying these areas, BOEM prioritized avoidance of offshore fishing grounds and identification of vessel transit routes, while retaining sufficient acreage to support the region’s offshore wind energy goals," the agency stated in a release.
It's possible turbines, if eventually approved for the areas east of Cape Cod, could be distantly visible, in very clear conditions, from the Atlantic Ocean bluffs in Truro.
The offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine Wind Energy Area is slated to open this fall, with additional lease areas proposed to be added in 2028. According to the federal agency, together the first eight areas have the potential to generate 15 gigawatts of renewable energy, which would power more than five million homes.
Vineyard Wind 1, the country's first industrial-sized offshore wind farm, according to the company, is south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
Want to give your opinion?
At the July 17 information session in Eastham, the federal agency will share information on the proposed Gulf of Maine leasing activities, including the recently published proposed sale notice and draft environmental assessment. Members of the public will be able to provide input.
Additionally, a public comment period for the draft environmental assessment is underway and will continue through July 22. The assessment considers site characterization surveys — such as biological, archeological, geological, and geophysical surveys and core samples — as well as installation of meteorological buoys expected to occur following issuance of leases, according to the agency.
To submit comments, visit Regulations.gov and enter BOEM-2024-0030 into the search box.
More information about the proposal for Gulf of Maine offshore wind leases be found on BOEM’s website at www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine
Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Gulf of Maine open up for wind farms? Learn more at Eastham meeting
