![\"Save](\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/25-0113-s2p-save-lbi-logo-800x600.jpg\"){kind=logo}
Image caption: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI).<\/em><\/p>\n
The organization, which is backed by more than 10,000 supporters, also urged the agency to take two specific actions: 1) Invalidate previous financial assurance deferrals granted to offshore wind projects, compelling developers to provide that assurance soon after turbine operation begins, and 2) mandate that all future renewable energy approvals comply with strict regulations under the Code of Federal Requirements (CFR).<\/p>\n
In a letter to DOI Secretary Doug Burgum, Save LBI said the practice of deferring financial responsibility \u201cappears to be pervasive\u201d and cited specific instances where the DOI\u2019s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) authorized the owners of Rhode Island\u2019s Revolution Wind and Massachusetts\u2019 Vineyard Wind projects to postpone payments for 15 years, giving the developers excessive leeway in establishing funding necessary to cover the substantial costs of decommissioning the planned 127 wind turbines off the coast of New England.<\/p>\n
Citing one of many examples, the letter \u2014 signed by Save LBI attorney Thomas Stavola and Bob Stern, Ph.D scientist and president of the organization \u2014 says BOEM authorized a deferral for Revolution Wind on the basis that \u201cproviding the full amount of its decommissioning financial assurance prior to receiving any revenue under its power purchase agreements (PPAs) would be an unnecessary and unreasonable financial burden on the company<\/em>.\u201d However, such revenues are received by the company well before the 15-year deferral given.<\/p>\n A Lack of Accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n BOEM\u2019s approval of Revolution\u2019s \u201cdeparture request\u201d ignores CFR requirements, which state, \u201cAny departure approved under this section and its rationale must…be consistent with subsection 8(p) of the OCS Lands Act\u2026[and] protect the environment and the public health and safety to the same degree as if there was no approved departure from this part…\u201d<\/p>\n Calling the approvals \u201cpatently absurd,\u201d Stavola said \u201cBOEM abdicated its responsibility to the American people by relying heavily on the \u2018financial strength\u2019 of the project instead of upholding its duty to protect the environment, public health, and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n BOEM\u2019s action in the case of Revolution Wind undermines CFR criteria in a number of ways, including:<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond the many negatives created by not holding offshore wind developers accountable, there are other fundamental problems,\u201d Stern noted. \u201cIt\u2019s not clear what decommissioning means in the context of prior BOEM deferrals or whether the amount of financial assurance specified is up to the task.\u201d<\/p>\n The Save LBI leader stressed the importance of explicitly defining what \u2018decommissioning\u2019 means and specifying the level of financial commitment required to fully remediate a site that is no longer active. \u201cDecommissioning could range from merely removing turbine blades to removing the entire turbine tower along with the blades and a subsection of the foundation. We\u00a0don\u2019t know whether the amount of financial assurance includes onshore storage, processing, and ultimate disposal of materials.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Save LBI estimates, the latter decommissioning effort could cost twice as much as the $325.4 million BOEM assigned to Revolution Wind. The Burgum letter states: \u201cWe would suggest that this subject requires major surgery in your upcoming Outer-Continental Shelf rule revisions, and that you consider the following elements in such a revision: a) that turbine removal down to a section of the foundation be required in all cases, b) that a preliminary turbine removal plan and cost be included in the Construction and Operations Plan, c) that BOEM prescribe methods of calculating the cost of turbine removal, including onshore processing and disposal, and, d) that financial assurance begin one year after commencement of operation and be provided for the full cost amount no later than 10 years after commencement of operation.<\/p>\n About Save LBI <\/strong><\/p>\n Save LBI is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that has been active in ongoing litigation and other efforts to protect the coastal and marine environment from the senseless industrialization of our oceans. The organization is led by Beach Haven, N.J. resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. scientist with experience in environmental planning and environmental law. He is a former manager of the U.S. Department of Energy office responsible for overseeing environmental protection related to energy projects and the Bureau of Air Quality Planning within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). For more information on Save LBI and its efforts, please visit SaveLBI.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n