From the Rebellion of Law
Posted by Jody Stone
Once considered Rhode Island’s most respected environmental Non-Profit, Save the Bay Rhode Island is now no longer operating according to its mission. With the nation’s first offshore turbine farm, one of the largest marine construction projects in history, coming to life in waters just 12-24 miles off the coast of Rhode Island – local residents, preservationists, fishermen, and boating enthusiasts are asking, “Where is Save The Wind?”
Since the 1970s, when residents rallied to oppose a proposed oil refinery in Tiverton, Save The Bay has been considered a leader in environmental stewardship in Rhode Island. For more than four decades, Save the Bay has “worked to protect, restore, and improve the ecological health of Narragansett Bay.”
He honored that legacy by claiming to serve, “as the eyes, ears and voice for Narragansett Bay.” Overseen by a board of directors and a board of trustees, as an organization, the day-to-day operations of Save the Bays are managed by Executive Director Topher Hamblett. The board of trustees, appointed Hamblett to the position last January.
A quick review of the website revealed that this project, one that will have implications for the State of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay, watershed and adjacent coastal waters for generations to come – not mentioned. It is not mentioned in the advocacy work or in the legislative agenda. In a web tab titled BAY ISSUES, the organization warns that, “Narragansett Bay is truly an environmental treasure that connects communities in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts to the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the greatest public asset and a symbol of the region’s history and culture. Why is the largest ocean industrialization project in this nation’s history, a project that uses Narragansett Bay as an electromagnetic cable route, as a shelter for wind boats, and as a cargo line from shore to farm, not even listed as a bay issue?
To recap, in the bidding process, close to one million acres of Rhode Island and Massachusetts oceans were leased to 9 separate wind companies. The company was selected to develop a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Once completed, along with hundreds of miles of cables running across Narragansett Bay, 1,000 turbines 800-1300 feet tall, covering more than a million acres of ocean, along with five Substations (with living quarters and helicopter pads for maintenance) will be built. in this rental area.
According to a TAX FILING dated April 26, 2024, the organization’s mission and most important activities include, “the protection, restoration, and improvement of the ecological health of the Narragansett Bay area, including the adjacent wetlands and coastal waters…” With sonar, ship traffic and construction these projects cause adverse impacts on fisheries, marine life, habitats and ecosystems, where are the concerns of Save The Bay?
Since submitting testimony in 2021, regarding the proposed construction in the critical habitat known as Coxes Ledge, Save the Bay has remained silent. With the cable lay preparation now taking place in the bay, and with the federal government suspended the Vineyard Wind project after the blade failure of July 13 is now infamous, caused by manufacturing problems that left Nantucket, Cape Cod and Rhode Island beaches littered with fiberglass and styrofoam. , many are concerned.
The incident of the blade, related to sharks, whales and dolphins washing up in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts coast, has many questions – where is the concern of our “ocean watchdog group”?
The organisation’s ‘strategy of silence’ when it comes to offshore wind is even more surprising when compared to the vocally vocal issue. This past May, Save the Bay teamed up with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office to rally against a small stone wall being built at a local country club.
With fanfare, Save the Bay and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office held a waterfront press conference where they called on local leaders and the public to voice their outrage. Save the Bay has dedicated an entire web page to educating the public about this illegal golf course wall that was erected at Quidnessett Country Club.
He is working again with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office in an effort to change the structure of the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). In a May 22 Press Release from the Attorney General’s office, Topher Hamblett, Executive Director of Save The Bay said, “Narragansett Bay is the heart of Rhode Island,” he continued, “Important decisions affecting our coastal resources should not be left in the hands of the area.” the council was appointed voluntarily.
No one person, nor the board as an entity, is responsible for bad decisions and recommendations of expert staff. This comment is especially interesting if you consider Sandra Thornton Whitehouse, wife of our most vocal environment, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, chairman of this council for over four years. Save The Bay has added a page for legislative activism, against CRMC, to its website.
Save The Bay and the RI Attorney General’s office are once again partnering with efforts to take down metal recyclers who issued a Recycled Metals RI Press Release stating, “For more than a decade, Rhode Island Recycled Metals has ignored environmental laws that protect our right to clean air and water.”
This is important work, but this action only highlights the organization’s silence on the need to recycle Off Shore Wind materials. Thousands of steel monopoles, weighing 2,000 tons of tubes, are being hammered 200 ft. deep into our ocean, covering an area larger than the entire State of Rhode Island.
There is no press statement by Save The Bay about how these 1,000 monopiles will be deactivated at the end of their life (10-15yrs.). The amount of steel used in offshore wind turbine monopiles can vary depending on water depth and other factors, but can be as much as 2,500 tons per turbine. Each Monopile is 40 ft in diameter with 5 inch thick walls.
Wind Turbine Blades Can’t Be Recycled
There is also no concern about the turbine blades themselves. These knives are neither recyclable nor biodegradable. It is made from an excellent composite of plastic and glass, which is difficult to process when it comes to recycling. According to Cleanpower.org, “Blades are made of composite materials (for example, Fiber-Reinforced Plastics, usually fiberglass and carbon fiber) and pose an even more important recycling challenge for the wind industry and the composite materials sector. As Fiber-Reinforced Plastics (FRPs ) complex to recycle, the majority of rotor blades now go to landfills or incineration facilities.
In the 2022 fact sheet, Solid Waste Management officials warned that, “most wind turbine blades are discarded when they are shut down because as mentioned above, the materials used to make wind turbine blades make it difficult to recycle or reuse them.”
They, however, held a press conference a few weeks ago with Governor Dan McKee pushing for a $53 million dollar Green Bond that will be on the ballot this November. This is in addition to the $50 million dollar Green Bond voted in the past two years in 2022. A major chunk of this new bond for offshore wind cable infrastructure where the cable comes ashore.
From what we can gather, the most significant change in Save The Bays operational actions, from ocean watchdog to state policy lapdog, coincides with the expansion of the organization’s advocacy wing in 2019. In April 2019, Save The Bay hired Jed Thorpe as its first Advocacy Coordinator . For the last five months he has served as the organization’s new Director of Advocacy.
When discussing his work with the organization, Mr. Thorpe explained, “I have always followed the theory that there are two forms of power in politics: money and people.” “Ultimately, Save The Bay’s political power comes from the people who support its work and policy proposals. My job is to translate existing “people power” into “political power.” He continued, “I see a lot of latent political power out there that can be mobilized by be careful and strategic in advancing our agenda to protect and enhance Narragansett Bay. I love working with and empowering people and helping them participate in the political process. Many people think of “politics” as a dirty word, but politics is simply the process of determining who gets what, when and how.
In response to our question about whether Save The Bay has not made OffShore Wind a priority concern, Mr. Thorpe replied, “So, we don’t think offshore wind is a legitimate concern. However, most of these activities are outside the Gulf. However, offshore wind electromagnetic cables are currently occurring in the heart of Narragansett Bay until November 6, 2025.
With cable routes being dredged in the bay, an unprecedented number of marine life strandings and Nantucket turbine debris still being washed away, there is no public concern for the bay and adjacent waters.
“We hold state and federal agencies accountable for enforcing laws that protect Narragansett Bay. We are the citizen watchdogs — and eyes, ears and voices — for Narragansett Bay. – Jed Thopre, Save The Bay Director of Advocacy
With politics, Orsted’s money and the energy market agenda infusing environmental organizations up and down the East Coast, is it a coincidence that they remain silent about the negative impact we see? Does the ‘silent strategy’ come from above? Does the Board of Trustees understand its fiduciary responsibility to the organization and its responsibility to ensure the organization’s actions are aligned with its mission?
The people of Rhode Island have lost their seats at the table
Save The Bay was founded on the community’s desire to protect our most precious resource – Narragansett Bay (and adjacent waters). While many are still in question, the organization that once spoke for the people of Rhode Island seems to have abandoned the grassroots community in favor of action and a political agenda.
With the mission in question and priorities now laser focused on the leading agenda, political action of the government – does Save The Bay RI deserve to hold the title as the country’s leading environmental watchdog again?
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