The US Department of the Interior made the formal decision to delay Vineyard Wind, a 800MW proposed offshore wind project, in order to conduct a supplemental study. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is extending its environmental review of the proposed offshore wind project.
Many aspects of the plan, including the planned layout of turbines and accessibility and safe vessel transit, are under intense criticism from the New England fishing industry. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has refused to sign off on the BOEM environmental review, saying those fishing industry concerns are not adequately addressed. BOEM officials said they are also rethinking their cumulative analysis in light of accelerating development in the East Coast offshore wind energy market. The agency is looking at 13 planned developments from southern New England to the Carolinas.
