NIMBY Activists Take on Renewable Energy
While green energy advocates and the leadership of the Democratic Party – including President-elect Joe Biden – have vouched for continued investment in renewables in an effort to lower emissions and address environmental concerns, it seems not everyone is sold on developing this new infrastructure.
According to E&E News, “Not In My Backyard” (NIMBY) activists in Long Island have expressed opposition to the South Fork offshore wind farm project in New York. The South Fork project would consist of 15 turbines about 35 miles off the coast of Long Island and could deliver as much as 132 megawatts of power, or enough for about 70,000 homes.
The activist group, Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott (CPW), has concerns over the export cable that will connect the turbines to a substation on land. The group has alleged the cable’s construction would ruin the “bucolic landscape, disrupt traffic and create fire hazards.” The project’s developers have assured opponents that the cable’s Wainscott route would have “”the least impact on the environment and the community.”
This challenge is just the latest in a long list of unrealistic and unsustainable anti-energy activism. The goal posts continue to be moved. NIMBY opposition to oil and gas pipelines has fueled legal fights across the nation in recent years. Now it seems renewable energy is falling subject to the same.
As the appropriate regulators and policymakers consider these challenges, it is critical to maintain focus on meeting our nation’s energy needs, the importance of strong domestic energy production, and the role of a robust energy infrastructure network in doing so.