Oregon Natural Resource Industries Stand Against the ODF 2023 HCP
Oceanic Wind Turbines- Not on Oregon's Coast
Let's stop these Wind Turbines from being placed on our Coastline. Meet us at a Protest October 12th, on the Boardwalk in Coos Bay at 5 pm, followed up with a Coos Commissioners Work Session that will allow public Testimony at the Sawdusk Theatre at 6:30 in Coquille. October 13th we will Protest the Wind Turbines in Bandon at the Glass House on the Boardwalk at 5 pm. See you there!
Let's Join together to stop these Wind Turbines their high-costs and they're a waste of taxpayer money. Let's protect our Wildlife and Marine Ecosystems,
Offshore Wind is the Most Expensive Energy
We don't want Wind Turbines on Oregon's Coast!
Offshore Wind is the Most Expensive Energy
Offshore Wind is the Most Expensive Energy
Offshore Wind is the Most Expensive Energy
Offshore wind energy is still a new technology and is the most expensive to produce. The initial investment is shockingly enormous and so is the ongoing maintenance. Soaring materials costs, particularly for steel, as well as costs of other key services, like specialized vessels to install the turbines, have jumped sharply too. With rising interest rates debt is getting more expensive too. Who pays for these expenses? The ratepayers.
Our questions about how much electricity rates would jump went unanswered. So, we asked the internet. The average impact for billpayers is an estimated 2.5% increase, while the investors get federal investment tax credits worth between 30% and 50%. This does not include the cost of underproduction, $billions in impairments due to supply delays, high interest rates and a lack of new tax credits, that similar projects are experiencing on the East Coast.
There is a "Feed in Tariff" clause incorporated into the contract with Federal and State governments that guarantees investors be compensated at above market price. Additionally, the investor will pass on costs to the ratepayers when bringing the power onshore, upgrading electrical infrastructure to accommodate increased loading, and installing smart technology to allow for the wind generation to be integrated with the national grid (DC to AC). And finally, the tax-payer/ratepayer will be fiscally responsible for any costs associated with salvaging storm related damages, and underproduction of generation.
Please use the link provided below for more info on feed and Tariffs.
Tariffs:
Federal Government’s subsidies and policies have aligned but supply chain delays, inflation, increased cost of debt, increased cost of steel, etc are causing challenges for offshore wind businesses. They’re renegotiating their contracts - causing more increased costs to ratepayers.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/why-us-offshore-wind-industry-is-doldrums-2023-09-06/
Financial viability for offshore wind energy to volatile.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/serious-a-problem-cost-issue-us-offshore-507736
Increasing risk of stalling wind farm projects. Increased costs of offshore wind projects threaten State’s ability to make purchasing decisions. Failed projects…etc.
https://gcaptain.com/states-beg-biden-to-bolster-offshore-wind-while-projects-flounder/
Wind Turbines Disrupts Wildlife
Offshore Wind is the Most Expensive Energy
Wind Turbines Disrupts Wildlife
We don't want Wind Turbines on Oregon's South Coast
This 104 page draft oil spill response plan written by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC. for construction of 2 offshore wind farms off the East Coast bring another point of concern. Their vessels carry more than 42,000 gallons of oil and/or fuel to and from floating wind turbines.
https://tethys.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Appendix_I-D_Draft_OSRP.pdf
These are just a snippet of the problems, issues and concerns that need to be addressed and answered.
Hydroelectric power is the largest source of the electricity generated in Oregon. Hydroelectric power typically provides more than half of Oregon's in-state total electricity net generation. Hydroelectricity is considered ‘green’ energy. Yet, we are tearing down our dams to save salmon. How many salmon will be impacted with the wind farms? At the same time we are tearing down our dams, will need to replace that energy production, especially since Oregon is pushing electric cars that require electricity to operate. Wind farms that produce 1 gigawatt of energy is NOT the answer. The harm of this proposal outweighs the benefits by far.
This is NOT a good plan for Oregon’s Coastal Communities! We’ve already had our forests shut down which provided family wage jobs. Our state forests were recently given away and made into the world’s largest research forest and decoupled from revenue producing timber harvest. The Shutter prison that provided over 100 good paying jobs with health care was also given away to accommodate the research forest students. Now our economy relies heavily on tourism, which pays minimum wage. The last industry we have along the areas where the proposed wind farms are is fishing, commercial and recreational. These ugly wind turbines and all the impacts will further cripple our coastal communities. Please do not proceed forward with the proposed wind farms! This proposal is putting our cultural, environmental, and socioeconomic well-being in danger, as evidenced by the East Coast wind farm projects.
Here is another link explaining the sudden skyrocketing cost of offshore wind: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14092023/inside-clean-energy-offshore-wind-projects-rising-interest-rates/?utm_source=InsideClimate+News&utm_campaign=2e855c819c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_09_16_01_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-2e855c819c-329222237
NO WIND FARMS off of our Oregon Coast
Our Expertise
9-28-23 Brookings Offshore Wind Comment
I’m Jen Hamaker, I serve as President of Oregon Natural Resource Industries (ONRI). We are a 501c6 and our mission is to support, defend, and protect, natural resource jobs, families, communities, and businesses. We oppose BOEM’s proposed offshore wind farms.
BOEM’s proposed wind farm plan is moving way to fast and without regard to our fishing fleet, our seafood processors, our coastal security, our marine ecosystems and habitat, our businesses, our beautiful ocean views, and those of us who live along our coast.
We feel that the meetings held in Gold Beach, Coos Bay, and Brookings, were just to check your boxes. No one cared to listen to our concerns. No one stopped to answer our questions. People who do not live amongst us and do not have a vested interest in our communities and our way of life were dictating to us what they plan to do that will greatly impact us, our livelihoods, our communities, into our future.
The proposed wind turbines are projected to produce 3 gigawatts of Direct Current at MAXIMUM capacity potential. The operational reality is about 40% of maximum capacity which is about 1 gigawatts. Coos Bay uses about 10.6 gigawatts and Brookings uses 3.5 gigawatts. It does not make sense to move forward, risking our environment and communities, for a possible return of 1 gigawatts. Is there something we’re missing?
Is there something we are missing?
Maybe the above highlighted area is the answer to our question, “Is there something we’re missing?” Investors are drooling over this, willing to move entire offices and people from one part of the world to Oregon to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Peter Cogwell, Deep Blue Pacific Wind’s Government and External Affairs Director, said “What is unique about Oregon is the world class resource off the Oregon coast, and you combine that with Oregon’s historic support for clean energy policies and decarbonizing our electric supplies, and there is a lot to like to offshore wind and how it fits into that environment.” If this is representative of how these big companies, the federal government, and investors see our coast, they are missing what we see and why we live along the coast. The Oregon Coast is enchanting and majestic, not an opportunity to make money and push an agenda while destroying our way of life… for 1 gigawatt.
300 Meters verses 1,300 Meters, Big Difference
This picture is from BOEM’s September 18, 2023 meeting stating that the world’s deepest floating offshore wind facilities are at 300 meters depth. The proposed wind farms off the Oregon Coast will be at 1300 meters depth. That’s 1000 meters deeper than the world’s deepest wind turbines. This technology is new and the unintended consequences are real, add another 1000 meters of water between the floating platform and the cable that returns the energy to shore and we have another real concern. This plan does not bode well for Oregon’s Coast and our future.
Damages that Wind Turbines could cause on the Oregon Coast
Wind Turbines aren't Safe
Industry groups insist that wind farms are very safe and major malfunctions, such as blades flying off the turbines, fire, debris washing ashore, are rare. But as wind farms grow older and the underlying components age (accelerated by salt water corrosion), increasing proactive maintenance is amplified and required. We’ve found that there is no effective national, state or county reporting requirement or database tracking safety or operational incidents at wind farms let alone floating wind farms. This is concerning.
This study shows a correlation between wind farms that affect onshore wind and precipitation, causing drought conditions onshore. We are already in a drought. What unintended consequences would less rain and wind do to our coastal climate and environment?
What about our Whales?
The above link is to a study that has determined that sea mammals, salmon, cod and other marine species are impacted to the underwater noise generated during the construction and operation of wind turbines as evidenced at the UK’s 17 wind farms.
Below is the map of wind farms studied:
https://aquaticbiosystems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2046-9063-10-8/figures/2
Jones Act
BOEM’s offshore wind farms is a massive project, with more than 200 wind turbines standing hundreds of feet above the ocean. Another hurdle for foreign investors and international companies that build these wind turbines in US waters is the 100-year-old law called the Jones Act.
The Jones Act, passed by Congress in 1920, says that only U.S.-flagged ships can move cargo from one point in the United States to another. The ships must have been built in the U.S. and be crewed by Americans. The offshore wind industry uses big, specialized ships to assemble the turbines miles out at sea, but there is not a single U.S.-flagged ship right now that can do that work.
Jones Act explained: