February 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

February is a short month, and spring is almost here—the first official day being Thursday, March 20th. Now is the time to start planning your warm weather efforts to explore the beauty of the land, rivers, lakes, and ocean that we are trying to protect, while being mindful of your individual carbon footprint.

Read on to learn more about Green Oceans’ recent updates and upcoming events.

Upcoming—Call to Action!

Westport Offshore Wind Advisory Committee (OSWAC) Public Meeting

This Thursday, February 20th at 5:30pm, Vineyard Offshore Director of External Affairs and Community Engagement Rick Musiol, Jr. will join the Westport Offshore Wind Advisory Committee (OSWAC) for a public meeting. Mr. Musiol will present specifically on the Vineyard Wind 2 project and entertain questions about impacts to coastal communities from OSW development off our beaches and related onshore infrastructure.

Climate Action Rhode Island (CARI) has sent out a call to its members to show up in support of Vineyard Wind and OSW development. We hope many Green Ocean members will also attend to voice your concerns. This is a public forum, and all are welcome to speak, although questions and comments will be limited to 2.5 minutes. Please join us!

Offshore Wind Advisory Committee Meeting

Westport Middle/High School Auditorium

400 Old County Road, Westport, MA

Thursday February 20th at 5:30pm

Legal Update

Despite the encouraging developments stemming from the Trump Executive Orders, we are redoubling our efforts on the legal front. With the Department of Justice potentially reconsidering its defense of BOEM’s permitting approvals, this is a critical moment to continue pushing forward with our lawsuits. The staffing transitions at the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior are still underway—as soon as these positions are filled, our attorney will be in contact with the DOJ. We have yet to hear back from Judge Lamberth on our case against Revolution Wind and are expecting an update on our South Fork Wind case from Judge Mehta sometime soon.

We have recently retained a DC-based strategist to ensure that our issues are brought before the top executives within the DOI, DOD, and DOJ.

Additionally, we are preparing an amicus brief for inclusion in a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court in support of the fishing industry’s challenge to offshore wind (Seafreeze Shoreside v. USDOI). This appeal follows a lower court decision and involves Meghan Lapp, who earlier this year won her case before the Supreme Court, leading to the end of Chevron deference.

Recent Developments

Middletown Planning Board Meeting Update

At last week’s Middletown Planning Board meeting, the subject of offshore wind was included on the agenda—specifically the SouthCoast Wind cable route proposed for the Sakonnet River. A few residents attended the meeting to voice their concerns, including Green Oceans members and volunteers for CARI. Those who could not attend in person submitted letters.

In the month prior, Desautel Browning Law had submitted a memo on behalf of the Town of Middletown asking that the CRMC deny consistency of SouthCoast Wind—in effect, officially opposing the SouthCoast Wind project. 

After a brief discussion, the Planning Board expressed interest in staging a forum on offshore wind to educate the community. Green Oceans is pursuing this opportunity. More information to follow.

It is worth noting that the Town of Little Compton had also enlisted Desautel Browning Law to submit a similar memo regarding SouthCoast Wind.

Promises, Promises from South Fork Wind

South Fork Wind—a 12 turbine array located directly on top of Coxes Ledge, a biologically diverse ecosystem—cost $2 billion dollars to construct, and resulted in countless environmental alterations. In 2024, it generated only 38% of its nameplate capacity. Instead of delivering power to “up to 70,000 homes” on Long Island as advertised; theoretically, it delivered electricity to roughly 27,000 homes... or to all 70,000, but for only 38% of the day. Delivering only 35-40% of nameplate capacity is not unusual for an offshore wind farm, but it exemplifies the generation shortfall that requires on-demand backup power from the mainland—in RI’s case, being mostly from natural gas-fired plants. 

As a reminder: South Fork Wind is a partnership between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. Ørsted has deep roots in the fossil fuel industry, only rebranding from DONG (Danish Oil and Natural Gas) in 2017. DONG was established as a state-owned company called "Dansk Naturgas A/S" in 1972 by the Danish government to manage (extract) oil and gas reserves in the North Sea. Skyborn Renewables was established in Bremen, Germany in 2000 to develop, build, and operate offshore wind power in Germany. The following quote from Patrick Lammers, CEO of Skyborn, clearly states what is important to the German company: value to the stakeholders. 

"Partnering on the Revolution Wind and South Fork Wind projects marks a significant step in expanding Skyborn's presence in the U.S. offshore wind market. Moreover, this joint venture with Ørsted perfectly exemplifies our successful partnership model. This transaction offers strong value potential for our shareholders and partners through a well-structured approach that carefully mitigates key risks.”

Deadlines and Redlines: Comment Submissions to The White House!

Numbers matter! Please send emails to the current administration at the email addresses listed below, letting them know why the construction of wind farms off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts needs to stop. Ask others to do the same—February is our month!

The White House Emails:
comments@whitehouse.gov
president@whitehouse.gov

Email Tips:

Ensure your email is in plain text format (without attachments or graphics), and state reasons to stop the wind farms that are currently being constructed off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Suggested topics (feel free to copy and paste!):

• There has never been a cumulative impact study for the effects of the multiple wind farms being planned. These wind farms are sited in a 1,400 square mile cluster and should be immediately halted until a cumulative impact study can be done to identify the true cost to the environment.

• Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) need to be revisited. Neither Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind, nor Sunrise Wind’s EIS included the potential for a broken blade such as the Vineyard Wind Blade Failure that occurred on July 13, 2024. This is a potentially catastrophic oversight and current projects should be halted immediately.

• Revolution Wind has delayed its timeline by at least a year due to higher-than-anticipated levels of hazardous contamination at their Quonset Point onshore substation site. Despite this, Ørsted has been allowed to continue installing cable in the seabed immediately offshore of Quonset Point without any new testing for contaminants. The trenching and laying of cable resuspends potentially toxic sediment. This sediment has not been tested for contaminants, and anything contained in it could enter the marine food web and end up in the seafood we consume.

• The Revolution Wind Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) warns that offshore wind energy projects off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts will house up to 34 million gallons of coolants, fuels, oils, and lubricants. If a hurricane damages these projects, there is potential for these 34 million gallons of toxic oils, fuels, lubricants, and coolants to spill into our coastal waters.

• The SouthCoast Wind project filed for a special discharge EPA permit for one of their substations to intake 8-10 million gallons of ocean water a DAY and discharge this quantity back into the ocean, approximately 40 degrees warmer, and containing chlorine (which is used to prevent biological growth in the cooling system). Everything entering the system—fish larvae, zooplankton, and crustaceans—can be killed in the open cooling loop. The SouthCoast Wind project has five proposed substations, for which there is no cumulative impact study.

• President Biden signed Executive Order 14082 that ordered the accelerated deployment of clean energy technologies, but projects like Revolution Wind and SouthCoast Wind do not meet the criteria set forth in the Executive Order 14082 and should be stopped immediately. As stated in their own Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), these projects will “have no measurable influence on climate change.”

Looking Ahead

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

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 our area. In turn, the ripple effect from our success could provide enough hope and traction for the same goal to be achieved with other offshore wind projects that pose a real threat to the environment and thus, our quality of life.

Helpful Information

Rhode Islander’s: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint!

Did you know you can schedule a free Home Assessment in Rhode Island? A comprehensive Home Energy Evaluation helps pinpoint energy waste zones, receive custom efficiency recommendations and lead to potential bill reduction strategies. Get instant energy insights and eco-friendly home improvements. Homeowners and renters are welcome—just secure landlord consent!

Fun Fact

The next leap year will be in 2028. Leap years help keep the calendar in sync with Earth's orbit around the sun, and it was Julius Caesar who introduced the concept of leap years in 46 BC to fix the Julian calendar. In the 1700s, women would propose to men on Leap Day. This tradition is now known as Bachelor's Day or Sadie Hawkins Day.

Newsletter Nightcap

“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.”
—Jacques-Yves Cousteau

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.”
—John Muir

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 500 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.