U.S. agency again delays key permit for first major U.S. offshore wind farm

By Nichola Groom

(Reuters) – A federal agency said on Thursday it has again delayed a long-awaited environmental study crucial to permitting the first major U.S. offshore wind project, but final approval of the project is expected by mid-January.

The study of the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project planned for the waters off the Massachusetts coast is expected to be released by Dec. 11, according to a government timeline. It had been anticipated later this week.

The document has been repeatedly pushed back since April of 2019 due to concerns that the project’s wind turbines will harm fisheries and navigation.

The delays have been a setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to fast-track big energy infrastructure projects and have stymied the administration’s plans to launch a promising new domestic industry.

A December publication of the study would pave the way for the administration to issue a final decision on the project by Jan. 15, according to the timeline, just days before Trump leaves office.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is overseeing the permitting process, said the agency was still reviewing the more than 13,000 public comments submitted in response to a supplemental review issued earlier this year.

That study was ordered in 2019 to consider the environmental impacts of many offshore wind farms due to the growing number of projects planned for the East Coast.

“Minor delays like this are not uncommon,” Vineyard Wind spokesman Andrew Doba said in an emailed statement.

Doba said the company was confident that the project would be delivered on time. It is scheduled to be completed in 2023 at the earliest.

Once constructed, the project is expected to generate enough power for more than 400,000 homes. The lease area is located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Inc, the U.S. arm of Iberdrola SA.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio)

Dakota Access company files motion to halt environmental study

Dakota Access Pipeline equipment

By Liz Hampton

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Energy Transfer Partners has filed a motion to bar the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from initiating an environmental study for its controversial Dakota Access pipeline crossing at Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

Energy Transfer Partners requested on Monday that a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Columbia stop the Corps from initiating the environmental impact statement process until a ruling has been made on whether the company already has necessary approvals for the pipeline crossing.

The Corps said it would publish a notice in the Federal Register on Wednesday stating its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the requested easement at Lake Oahe. The notice will invite interested parties to comment on potential issues and concerns, as well as alternatives to the proposed route, which should be considered in the study.

The Corps in December denied Energy Transfer Partners an easement to drill under Lake Oahe, a water source upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation that has been the focus of protests. Members from the Standing Rock Sioux and others say the line could damage drinking water and desecrate sacred grounds.

In July 2015, the Corps had granted Energy Transfer Partners permission for its proposed pipeline crossing at Lake Oahe.

A representative from Energy Transfer Partners did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a request for comment.

The 1,172-mile (1.885 km) Dakota Access Pipeline will transport 570,000 barrels per day of crude from the Bakken shale of North Dakota to the Midwest.

The Standing Rock Sioux said the tribe was confident the environmental impact statement would support its claim that the pipeline cannot cross under the lake, adding that the best way to analyze new routes is through an environmental impact statement.

Comments on the scope of the environmental impact statement will be due no later than Feb. 20, the Army Corp said.

(Reporting by Liz Hampton; Editing by Dan Grebler)