Nantucket Residents Worry Offshore Wind Will Harm Whales

NANTUCKET, MA — A group of Nantucket residents filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to attempt to block the construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of Massachusetts.

Nantucket Residents Against Turbines organized a press conference for Wednesday, announcing the lawsuit and saying Vineyard Wind's proposed project off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket will pose a risk to the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

The group took to Facebook Tuesday, writing, "The construction of these turbines is set to take place in a nexus of activity of the North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered baleen whale with a population of fewer than 400 specimens remaining in the world."

Though Vineyard Wind's construction plan to build the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm was given final approval earlier this year, the company stated it will only do loud construction work during times of the year when whales are unlikely to be in the area.

"The project will generate clean, renewable, affordable energy for over 400,000 homes and businesses across the Commonwealth while reducing carbon emissions by over 1.6 million tons per year," Vineyard Wind's website states.

"We are concerned with the adverse impacts from the increased construction vessel traffic, pile driving, and operational noise on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale," the Nantucket Residents Against Turbines posted to their website.

The Biden Administration approved the project's final permits in May, and in July, Vineyard Wind signed a Project Labor agreement to use union labor in the construction, guaranteeing to create 500 jobs in sustainable energy.