Download Feds propose wind-energy leases off NC coast

A 2009 study by UNC-Chapel Hill for state legislators found that offshore North Carolina has some of the
most potent wind energy on the Atlantic coast
Feds propose wind-energy leases
off NC coast
BY BRUCE HENDERSON 01/22/2015 12:36 PM
The Interior Department has released an environmental study that supports the
potential lease of 300,000 acres off the North Carolina coast for wind farms.
Leases could be sold to wind developers in three areas of federal waters off the coast.
At least five companies have expressed interest in developing wind projects off North
Carolina.
“In close coordination with our partners in North Carolina, we are moving forward to
determine what places make sense to harness the enormous wind energy potential off
the Atlantic seaboard,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement Thursday.
The areas selected include about 122,000 acres 24 miles off Kitty Hawk, on the Outer
Banks. An area of 51,000 acres is 10 miles off Wilmington and 133,000 acres is 15
miles off Bald Head Island near Southport, on the state’s southern tip.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the Interior Department, says those
areas were picked because they protect views from shore and wildlife habitat. The wind
zones would also not conflict with military operations, fishing or shipping.
Further environmental studies would be done if and when wind farms are proposed.
The bureau said it will hold three public meetings in North Carolina in February but has
not yet released specific locations. They’re Feb. 9 on the northern Outer Banks, Feb. 11
in Wilmington and Feb. 12 in Carolina Shores or Sunset Beach.
A 2009 study by UNC-Chapel Hill for state legislators found that offshore North Carolina
has some of the most potent wind energy on the Atlantic coast.
Zak Keith, lead organizer for the North Carolina Sierra Club, called the announcement
“a huge opportunity to create jobs and investment in the clean energy sector without the
risks of oil spills” from offshore drilling.
The Obama administration has accelerated wind-energy development as a response to
climate change.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has awarded seven commercial wind leases
off Massachusetts, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland and Virginia. It is expected to
hold competitive lease sales for areas off Massachusetts on Jan. 29 and New Jersey
later this year
McCrory requests wind farm buffer
off coast
Governor wants the wind turbines 24 nautical miles from coast
BY JOHN MURAWSKI
A recommendation from Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration to keep offshore wind farms
at least 24 nautical miles away from the coast would strike a death knell for wind energy
here, wind advocates say.
The buffer requested by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources is
among 195 public comments released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Interior. The
federal agency solicited the comments as it reviews which sections of the Atlantic
Ocean are suitable for offshore wind development.
If DENR’s proposal were adopted, the wind farm development area would shrink by
about half from the currently proposed 480 square miles. The oceanic area has been
steadily shrinking with each stage of the review process as the military, shipping
industry, fishing interests and tourism concerns chip away at the proposed zone.
“The bottom line is the practical effect of a 24 nautical mile exclusion zone is that North
Carolina won’t be developing offshore wind for some time,” said Brian O’Hara, president
of the Southeastern Coastal Wind Coalition. “You’re basically pushing everything out to
distances and depths that unnecessarily raise cost burdens for the first project.”
In August, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved
just a quarter of the 1,900 square miles under consideration last summer.
Most of the public comments released Thursday are from local residents, but some are
from local governments, advocacy groups and other organizations. Audubon North
Carolina requested avian surveys to better understand migrating and nesting birds. The
governments of Brunswick and Oak Island expressed concerns about unknown
potential consequences.
The Marine Mammal Commission warned of “significant cumulative impacts on the
marine environment” from driving pylons on the ocean floor and erecting 460-foot tall
spires with rotating turbines.
The DENR letter surprised wind advocates because Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has
long supported offshore wind farms along side of offshore drilling. In January 2013,
McCrory wrote to BOEM touting North Carolina’s “world-class wind energy resources”
and said offshore wind farms could add as many as 10,000 permanent jobs.
DENR still “fully supports offshore energy development,” according to the agency’s
emailed written response to follow-up questions Friday. But any development will have
to protect coast and ocean, and address military and navigational concerns, the agency
said.
“We have voiced consistent concerns and sought similar protections for both offshore
wind and offshore oil and gas development,” DENR said.
The agency also noted that Kitty Hawk officials asked for a 20 nautical mile buffer from
their town, and the National Park Service asked for a 33.7 nautical mile buffer from the
Bodie Island Lighthouse.
The Feb. 23 letter to BOEM, written by DENR Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart,
emphasized environmental concerns and other potential conflicts, and encouraged
further studies.
“North Carolina’s coastline is unique compared to other east coast states,” his letter
stated