By Nichola Groom
(Reuters) – A U.S. fishing group on Monday sued the Biden administration over its approval of the huge Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off the East Coast, saying the government had failed to address industry concerns about its potential safety and environmental impacts.
The development is the latest in a string of clashes between the fishing industry and public and private efforts to create a new domestic renewable energy industry to help wean the economy off fossil fuels and combat climate change.
Fishing interests view offshore wind as a threat to catches of crucial stocks, including squid, scallops and clams, charging that towering wind turbines would interfere with navigation and alter habitats. If built, Vineyard Wind would be the nation’s first major offshore wind farm.
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, which advocates for fishing industry interests in offshore wind development, said it filed a brief petition in the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. The petition asks the court to review the administration’s approval of the project.
“This action is the culmination of many years of conscientious participation by fisheries professionals, only to see their expertise and value summarily ignored by decision makers during the leasing process,” the alliance said in a statement.
The Biden administration approved Vineyard Wind in May. The facility is owned jointly by Avangrid Inc, based in Orange, Connecticut, and Danish investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and will be located 14 miles (23 km) off the Massachusetts coast near Martha’s Vineyard.
Offshore wind is a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s agenda to address global warming. His administration is seeking to add 30 gigawatts of the energy source to the nation’s waters in just nine years.
Opposition from commercial fishing fleets is widely considered to be a major threat to that goal and has already contributed to delays in granting permits to the country’s first commercial-scale projects.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
