The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has denied a request by three of Oregon’s congressional members to extend the public comment period on two proposed wind power projects off the southern Oregon coast.
The federal bureau announced last month it was moving forward with plans for floating offshore wind power installations near the towns of Coos Bay and Brookings.
The agency said in February that it would conduct an environmental assessment and gave the public 30 days to comment. The comment period ended on March 22.
In a letter dated March 12, Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, all Democrats, said residents need more time to have their concerns heard.
They asked BOEM director Elizabeth Klein to extend the comment period so that Oregonians who would be affected by the offshore sites could engage in the process.
“Tribes, the fishing community and others throughout Oregon’s coastal communities are currently working to develop comments that will inform the environmental assessment for the wind energy areas, including impacts to the ocean ecosystem, environment, fisheries, viewsheds and other important resources,” the letter read.
“We request an extension of the comment period to allow for robust comments that will set the most complete stage for future analysis. We believe that an extension will serve the tribes, coastal and fishing communities, and ultimately BOEM by allowing ample time to prepare meaningful scoping comments.”
Push For Offshore Wind Energy
The two Wind Energy Areas in Oregon are part of the Biden administration’s push for offshore wind energy, a key component of the president’s climate agenda. They would cover roughly 195,000 acres and have the combined capacity to produce 2.4 gigawatts of energy, according to BOEM. That’s enough to power about 800,000 homes.
The administration wants to build 30 gigawatts of fixed-bottom offshore wind energy by 2030—enough to power more than 10 million homes—and another 15 gigawatts of floating wind turbines by 2035, enough to power 5 million homes.
Already, it has announced plans to lease millions of acres of federal waters to wind power developers by 2025, with large-scale wind farm projects planned along nearly the entire coastline of the United States, including the Atlantic seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific waters off California and Oregon.
The decision to move forward in Oregon comes in the wake of massive wind project cancellations along the eastern seaboard and as Danish wind energy giant Orsted scales back its floating offshore wind development activities, acknowledging that the technology is not yet ready for prime time.
BOEM’s Decision to Decline
A BOEM spokesman explained why the congressional representatives’ request for more time has been declined.
“BOEM has decided not to extend the public comment period from 30 days to 60 days in its notice to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA),” explained BOEM spokesman John Romero in an email to The Epoch Times.
“We believe that the 30-day comment period is sufficient for the public to provide meaningful input.”
Mr. Romero added that the agency would seek additional public comments on potential leasing impacts after the draft EA is completed this spring but before it is finalized later this year.
Lease auctions could begin in late 2024, he said.
Ms. Klein said BOEM coordinates closely with Oregon state authorities.“BOEM values its close coordination with the State of Oregon as we continue to work together to maintain a robust and transparent offshore wind planning process,” she said on the BOEM website.
“We will continue to work closely with Tribal governments, federal and state government agencies, ocean users, coastal communities and all interested stakeholders as we move forward with our environmental review.”
Stakeholders Feel Ignored
But the decision to move forward comes despite strong opposition from various coastal constituents who are concerned that offshore wind projects would impact their livelihoods and traditions.
“BOEM keeps patting themselves on the back for working with Tribes, fishermen, and other stakeholders, but every decision they make seems to be directly opposite of what we have been asking for,” Heather Mann, executive director of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, told The Epoch Times.
“For BOEM to say they believe 30 days is enough time to provide meaningful comments when stakeholders have voiced the opposite demonstrates how little BOEM is actually interested in our input and that they are more determined to meet a political deadline than anything else.”
Coos County Commissioner Bob Main, who, along with two other commissioners, represents Oregon on BOEM’s board, agrees.
He was outraged, but not surprised that he had not been notified of BOEMs decision.
“They don’t want to hear anything we have to say,” Mr. Main told The Epoch Times in a phone interview. “In fact, they had us muted in the last Zoom call meeting on the topic on Jan. 17. The only people allowed to talk were the presenters from Washington D.C.”
During that Zoom call, Mr. Main said he posted a message informing BOEM that he would consider legal action if locals were not heard.
“Coos County is adamantly opposed to the offshore wind project off our coast. We vigorously oppose any offshore wind cable coming ashore in our county. We will also file lawsuits to prevent offshore wind,” his message read.
“They haven’t even responded to that note,” Mr. Main claimed. “These people are out of control.”
Monique DeSpan, Republican primary candidate for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, also weighed in.
“I am listening to voters all across this district, and they have made it abundantly clear that this offshore wind project poses a danger to fishermen and tribal areas, will harm sea life, is unsafe in severe storms, and stands to lose enormous sums of money for which ratepayers will be left to pay the price, just like similar failed experiments on the east coast,” Ms. DeSpain told The Epoch Times.
“I oppose this entire disastrous offshore wind boondoggle from being imposed on the residents and businesses of the coastal communities of the 4th congressional district, full stop.”
Neither Senators Merkley and Wyden nor Rep. Hoyle replied to multiple requests from The Epoch Times for a response to BOEM’s decision.
