Fishing trade groups sought the added offshore wind development analysis as part of the U.S. Interior Dept. final approval of the first large-scale U.S. wind farm, the 800-MW, $2.4 billion Vineyard Wind project proposed off the coast of Massachusetts. The agency required the cumulative impact study in a surprise move last year that has delayed project construction. Final approval now won’t come until year-end. The department’s supplemental environmental review, released June 11, considered construction of about 2,000 wind turbines over a 10-year period with currently available technology. A 45-day comment period now follows release of the Interior analysis. The agency expects to issue the final version of the broader study in November and a final decision on Vineyard the following month, said Walter Cruickshank, acting director of the department’s Bureau of Ocean Management.
https://www.enr.com/articles/49564-broader-offshore-wind-study-cites-fishing-lane-impacts