US opponents of offshore wind projects form national group in order to combat the project

According to two organizations and the founder of this effort, U.S. opponents to offshore wind developments are creating a coalition to fight projects in California as well as New England.

According to Mandy Davis, the president of NOOA, it aims to give a national voice to a movement that is currently fragmented into dozens of groups.

Offshore wind in the United States is still a young industry and an important part of President Joe Biden’s climate-change plan. Residents are concerned that the installation of turbines on every U.S. coast has a negative impact on tourism and property values. They have also filed multiple lawsuits.

Sometimes the small guy is overlooked, said Davis. Davis founded the REACT Alliance, a group that opposes offshore wind in Morro Bay.

Davis stated that representatives of about 20 groups local from both coasts in the United States attended NOOA’s first formal meeting held this week. She didn't say how many local groups have signed up to the coalition yet, but said the number should be clearer in the next few days.

Green Oceans is a group which has filed a lawsuit to prevent projects from being built near the Rhode Island coast. According to Green Oceans' co-founder Bill Thompson, Green Oceans has signed up. Bill Thompson, co-founder of Green Oceans, said that he was hopeful the coalition will lead to better sharing of information and strategies.

NOOA, she said, will remain politically neutral and won't accept any donations from fossil-fuel interests.

NOOA is a deliberate riff on the acronym of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. government agency which oversees ocean conservation policy and helps to permit offshore wind installations.

Davis stated, "It is a bit of a jab." Reporting by Nichola groom, editing by Diane craft

(source: Reuters)