June 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we welcome the June summer solstice—the longest day of the year—we are reminded of the natural rhythms that sustain our environment and communities. With extended daylight hours, summer offers a time to appreciate the beauty of our coastal landscapes and the delicate ecosystems that thrive here. It also offers a clear view of the extensive “progress” of offshore wind projects—a reminder that we must renew our commitment to outreach and advocacy, working together to stop offshore wind and prevent the devastating, irreversible changes it brings.

Legal Update

Our legal effort is gaining momentum, and the lawsuit against Revolution Wind just passed a significant hurdle. The judge has approved our standing for five key claims, including the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Protection Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. Further motions are pending. Read the Press Release here.

Additionally, we are co-plaintiffs in a case recently filed by Nantucket’s ACK for Whales against the New England Wind I and II Projects. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah has joined the suit as well. Read the Press Release here.

We are considering  a lawsuit against Sunrise Wind, which has begun pile driving and plans to install 84 additional wind turbines in the area southeast of the Revolution Wind project. We need to fundraise before we can take on this effort. Please consider donating to help us stop Sunrise from proceeding.

We are also currently petitioning NOAA to use its emergency powers to rescind the permits for the six wind projects that have active licenses to harm and harass marine mammals in the waters off of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Currently, they are allowing these projects to harass a total of 170 North Atlantic right whales over the next year. This represents almost 50% of the species alive today.

Recent Developments

Cancelling Offshore Wind Leases: Commissioned Report

On June 3, 2025, Green Oceans released its comprehensive report entitled, Cancelling Offshore Wind Leases. Commissioned by Green Oceans and created by Planet A* Strategies, this first-of-its-kind report analyzes the legal frameworks underlying federal agency decision-making for offshore wind (OSW) development in six offshore wind projects located in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas, which encompass nearly a million acres of ocean territory on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Read and download the report from our website here.
Read the press release about this report here.

Contamination at Quonset Point Update

Green Oceans volunteers are in the midst of a deep dive into the toxic chemical exceedances (list below) at Revolution Wind’s Quonset Point onshore substation site. As a result of the contamination in the area, Revolution Wind’s project has been delayed until 2026. Without permission to connect their export cable to the onshore substation and start generating/supplying power, Revolution Wind remains ineligible for their government subsidies.

Most recently, Green Oceans filed a petition with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rescind Revolution Wind’s permit (Permit No. NAE-2020-00707), citing documented evidence of toxic discharges and violations of water quality standards. When the permit was issued, the Army Corps assured the public that Revolution Wind’s onshore discharges would meet all water-quality standards, introduce no toxic effluents, and avoid significant degradation of U.S. waters. However, fifteen months of construction have proven these assurances false. According to the Permittee’s own discharge-monitoring reports, levels of arsenic, zinc, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and total suspended solids have exceeded permitted limits by hundreds to thousands of percent, violating Special Condition 6, which incorporates Rhode Island’s § 401 Water-Quality Certification. The EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online database now lists the facility in Significant Non-Compliance for three consecutive quarters.

Below are Revolution Wind’s own reported non-complying discharges:

Observed Exceedances (June 2024–March 2025)

The Permittee’s reporting, as filed with EPA’s Integrated Compliance Information System, reveals forty-eight (48) numeric exceedances across four outfalls. EPA’s ECHO Facility Report classifies the facility in Significant-Non-Compliance for Q3 2024–Q1 2025. Some of these severe violations are listed below:

Parameter (stat) Maximum % Over  Limit Duration / Notes

• Arsenic (Monthly Avg) 1,891% Entire Q3 2024 (92 days)

• Zinc (Daily Max) 1,663 % Repeated in Q2–Q3 2024

• Total Phenols (Monthly Avg) 1,016 % Q2 & Q3 2024

• Iron (Daily Max) 597 % Spike on 12 Dec 2024

• Lead (Monthly Avg) 156 % Dec 2024

• TSS (Daily Max) 723 %, 610 %, 220 % Five storm-event spikes

There are many takeaways here, but it bears repeating that Arsenic is 1,891% above permitted levels!

Looking Ahead

Acoustician Robert Rand in Westport, MA: July 10th

Westport’s Offshore Wind Advisory Committee (OSWAC) will meet on Thursday, July 10th at 5:30 pm at the Westport Town Hall. Acoustic engineer, Robert Rand will present:

Offshore Wind: What You’re Not Hearing

Robert Rand is the founder of Rand Acoustics, LLC in Brunswick, Maine. He brings over four decades of expertise in acoustics, including ten years with the Noise and Vibration Control Group at Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation. There, he worked on noise and vibration controls for power plants, large commercial projects, managing noise control budgets, specifying and testing industrial noise controls, and producing numerous environmental impact assessments. Rand has been involved in sonar noise impact analysis since 1999, when he investigated the impacts of naval sonar noise on divers and whales in Hawaii and Monterey Bay. In March 2023, he recorded the vibrant calls of healthy humpback whale populations in Hawaii, and while in Cape Cod Bay in April 2023, he recorded the sparse calls from a pod of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

He will present his reports and 2023 offshore recordings investigating wind sonar survey vessels and pile driving noise, discuss the potential for hearing impacts from mechanical forcing, and review potential noise impacts of airborne low-frequency sound arriving onshore from the Revolution Wind project.

For more information about Mr. Rand’s research related to the likely impacts of offshore wind construction on marine mammals, visit randacoustics.com and click on “papers.”

Rhode Island Sound: What You See—and What You Don’t

Large crane ships stationed in Narragansett Bay, as well as the increasing number of turbines visible off the coast, have raised public awareness of the offshore wind projects in our region. Many are particularly interested in learning about which projects are fully permitted, under construction, and visible from the shore—especially at night when the red blinking lights appear on the horizon. What is currently visible represents only a portion of the full scope of these projects. Hundreds more turbines may be installed as additional projects are permitted. Track the status of projects here.

Recently, Green Oceans leaders have been in Washington, D.C.—personally educating top officials at The Department of the Interior, BOEM and Congress about the dire impacts of offshore wind.

We are also gearing up for multiple additional lawsuits. These impactful efforts can only happen with your support!

Donations to our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Please donate by clicking below. Any size gift helps!

Other Ways to Donate

• Mail a check to:
  Green Oceans
  P.O. Box 976
  Little Compton, RI 02837

• Contact us at info@green-oceans.org for alternative methods such as Donor Advised Fund (DAF), Wire or Stock Transfer.

Making a donation to Green Oceans will greatly improve our chances of ending offshore wind construction in New England waters. In turn, the ripple effect from our success could provide enough hope and traction to end other offshore wind projects that pose a real threat to the environment and thus our quality of life.

Helpful Information

What We Are Reading

Not on My Watch: How a Renegade Whale Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon

Published in 2021, this book by Alexandra Morton chronicles her relentless, thirty-year battle to protect British Columbia’s wild salmon after industrial fish farms arrived in 1989, driving away whales and damaging local fisheries.

Alexandra stood up to the fish farming industry using science, protests, and the legal system to challenge both the government and the powerful industry interests that refused to listen. Her story is not just about her own courage, but about holding those in power accountable for ignoring the truth and risking the future of wild salmon and the coast. Learn more.

Environmental Tip

Simple water-saving actions at home—like fixing leaks, using low-flow fixtures, and choosing native plants—help protect local coastal watersheds by reducing demand on municipal water supplies and minimizing runoff that can carry pollutants to the sea.

By conserving water, residents help maintain the health of coastal ecosystems that are already facing new challenges from wind turbine construction, including habitat disruption and increased human activity offshore. Saving water at home is a practical way to support the resilience of our coastal environment as it experiences the impacts of both climate change and major infrastructure projects like offshore wind farms.

Newsletter Nightcap

Thank you for staying informed, involved, and being part of this journey. Share this newsletter with friends and family—together, we can make a difference! As always, we will keep you updated on all of the latest news and developments. Keep advocating for the health of the ocean and beyond!

Thank You to Our Supporters!

Green Oceans is a broad coalition of citizens who are committed to protecting and preserving our coastal waters. Whether you have made a financial contribution, volunteered, helped spread awareness about our mission, attended a seminar, or posted a yard sign—we thank you for your support!

As Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, “The simple step for a courageous individual, is not to take part in the lie.”

Onward,

Lisa, Bill, Bryan, Charlotte, Barbara, Katie, and the Green Oceans Team

Ways to Get Involved

Sign Our Petition

We now have over 3,000 signatures from 30 States and nine countries, but we need more! Please distribute the link to family, neighbors, and friends to help gather more signatures.

Volunteer

We value your skills! Sign up for our volunteer directory.

Host a Zoom Presentation

The Green Oceans team often holds small, focus-group presentations. Please consider hosting a Zoom to inform your neighbors and friends.

Post a Yard Sign

Supporters have requested over 3,000 yard signs.

About Green Oceans

Green Oceans is a non-partisan, grassroots group of community members dedicated to preserving the health of the ocean and the biodiversity it sustains founded in January 2023.We strive to protect the ocean by informing the public about imminent threats, including the impact of offshore wind on the marine ecosystem.

Learn More

Visit our website, follow us on social media, or contact us directly via email for more information.