Abstract
Massachusetts like many states all across the country are struggling with the effects of climate change. And like many states all across the country, Massachusetts is also finding innovative methods of reducing their carbon footprint. One of the methods that Massachusetts will be utilizing is the offshore wind industry. On March 26, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker signed Senate Bill 9 - An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (Office of Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, et al., 2021). This bill fully cements Massachusetts commitment of achieving a net-zero emissions by 2050 (Office of Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, et al., 2021). And on August 11, 2022, Governor Baker signed HB 5060 - An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind. Some of key provisions of this bill include is to reshape the way that the state connects to offshore wind power and accelerate the states’ commitment of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 (Young, 2022). Both of these bills signify that Massachusetts is serious about tackling climate change, and harnessing the potential of the offshore wind industry as a springboard to a more sustainable future.
In November of 2021, history was made off the coast of Massachusetts. The first major commercial offshore wind farm was officially approved by the federal government and by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. This project is called Vineyard Wind I. This offshore wind farm will have the ability to power roughly 400,000 homes (Frangoul, 2021). One of the key hopes of this project is that it will help Massachusetts reach its climate plan of having a net-zero emissions by 2050. This industry on paper has the potential of changing the trajectory of how the state of Massachusetts acquires energy. If this project and industry go according to plan, it will demonstrate that the offshore wind industry can play a key role in fighting climate change and benefit local communities by generating thousands of jobs. For some, the benefits outweigh the risks.
Even with all these new investments in an industry that could potentially help Massachusetts reach its climate goals, many questions still linger. Massachusetts is a heavyweight in the fishing industry. Last year it was reported that it was valued at around $670 million, the second highest in the country (State of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries, 2021). The fishing industry is very much concerned that they will lose substantial amounts of revenue due to the locations of where if the offshore wind farms will be placed. In addition, there an ever growing concern that these offshore wind farms could potentially damage wildlife in the surrounding areas.
This project will hope to analyze the benefits and the risks of utilizing the offshore wind warms for energy consumption. Another main goal of this project is to figure out if local industries such as the fishing industry and local wildlife are at risk of being harmed at the expense of offshore wind farms or if there is a possibility of coexisting. Furthermore, this project will also dive deeply into a past attempt of placing offshore wind farms off the coast of Massachusetts and why it has failed and if this project is doomed to have the same fate. Finally, I will give my final thoughts and recommendations of whether offshore wind farms’ benefits outweigh the risks.