Oregon Tribe 'unable to support offshore wind' over US failure to meet fishing, viewshed demands
Coos Bay-based tribal confederation joins growing chorus that includes the state governor in demanding a pause in floating wind development in the Pacific Northwest
An organisation of Native American Tribes has joined a growing chorus in opposing floating wind development in the deep waters off the Pacific Northwest state of Oregon.
The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians released a statement calling the recently formed draft wind energy areas (WEAs) in the Coos Bay and Brookings call areas “premature” and a threat to “fisheries, local fishing jobs, and some of Oregon’s pristine ocean viewsheds.”
“The Tribe supports any green economic development project that complies with the law and does not harm local fishing jobs, our environment, or Tribal cultural resources,” the Confederation said, but was disappointed in the location of the WEAs in sensitive fishing grounds and viewsheds.
As a result, “we are unable to support the development of offshore wind energy,” Tribal Council chair Brad Kneaper told local media.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), lead federal regulator of energy development in US waters, set the first WEA around 32 miles (51km) off Oregon's coast in the northwest corner of the Coos Bay call area, while the second lies just north of the state’s southern border with California in Brookings.
Call areas are set at an early step in the federal offshore wind leasing process to gauge industry interest in a region. The comment period on the draft WEAs has been extended to 16 October to take into account the many stakeholder concerns.
Local opposition
Setting the WEAs “was contrary to the call of the Oregon governor and Congressional delegation requesting that the process for wind energy development by suspended to ensure that the concerns of local residents, commercial fishing, and Tribes are fully considered,” the confederated Tribes said.
The deep, cold waters of the US northern Pacific support highly productive fisheries, and Oregon’s fishing fleet generates an annual average of $500m revenue and employs some 9,200 people, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) likewise oppose the sector.
Environmental justice
President Joe Biden’s administration has prioritised environmental justice as key to the ongoing energy transition, and last April reaffirmed this through executive actions to further embed “environmental justice into the work of federal agencies to achieve real, measurable progress”.
Central to this effort is “the vital importance of Tribal consultation and coordination”, the White House noted.
Offshore wind development on the East Coast likewise faces mounting opposition, with two federal lawsuits sponsored by commercial fishing associations pending against approval of America’ flagship project, Vineyard Wind 1.