Massachusetts House fails to take up wind farm commission in approved climate bill

State Rep. Steven Xiarhos, R-Barnstable, pictured, filed an amendment that looked to create a commission to study impacts from wind farms on cities and towns. (Herald file photo)

As cleanup crews debris removed from a broken turbine blade on the shores of Nantucket, state representatives did not include a wind farm commission in their approved climate bill.

The House bill, which passed on a 131-25 vote, looks to streamline and expedite the lengthy siting and permitting process for clean energy projects, but Republicans are arguing it does not do enough to prevent the Nantucket crisis from plaguing other towns and cities in the future.

State Rep. Steven Xiarhos, R-Barnstable, said he’s always had concerns about wind farm projects and their potential effects on towns and cities. His town is the only municipality in the state where two projects are under agreement, one in construction and the other in the review and permitting process.

A third project that would affect Barnstable has also been proposed.

Xiarhos and colleague, Rep. Kip Diggs, D-Cotuit, filed a standalone bill earlier this year that would have created a commission to study the risks to cities and towns before they put the language into the climate package.

“These projects are so massive, and you need to, I would say, slow it down,” Xiarhos told the Herald on Friday. “That amendment would establish a commission of independent experts to help the cities and towns realize what this is and make sure they are making the right decisions.”

The commission would also include companies developing and overseeing the projects and structures, local government and health officials, fish and wildlife officials, and fishermen, Xiarhos said.

Diggs told the Herald the end goal of the commission would be to increase communication between constituents and project decision-makers, instead of residents being told what’s going out without any say.

The Energy Facilities Siting Board, an independent state board, reviews proposed large energy facilities including power plants, electric transmission lines, intra-state natural gas pipelines, and natural gas storage tanks.

The board has “so much power,” Diggs said.

Xiarhos said he is not against renewable energy and that his concerns lie mostly with making sure projects are being conducted “properly and safely” given all the complexities from the ocean and marine environment to beaches to neighborhoods and drinking supply.

“A lot of people don’t think about it until it’s actually happening,” Xiarhos said. “Those were my concerns months ago, and now the climate bill comes up, and just coincidentally, this disaster is happening out in the ocean that’s affecting Nantucket. But that could also come ashore on Cape Cod somewhere.”

Vineyard Wind, the venture of Avanagrid and Copenhagen Infrastructures overseeing the wind farm where a turbine blade failed last week before another “significant portion” dropped into the ocean Thursday, has deployed a helicopter to track debris near southern Nantucket.

Island officials in a Saturday update highlighted how “there is potential risk of additional debris on the south side beaches later this weekend. We will provide an update on this as we receive more information.”

The approved bill consolidates state, regional and local permits for larger clean energy projects; pushes the state further into renewable power by calling for a new procurement of 9.45 million megawatt-hours of clean energy resources; and allows future offshore wind and clean energy contracts to be extended up to 30 years, up from the current limit of 20 years.

Despite the commission not included, Diggs said he believes a lot of good comes from the bill.

“If we don’t change some of the things that we are doing, our coastline is not going to be our coastline,” he said. “We need to protect, we can’t just stand pat and let everything keep happening.”

Herald wire services contributed to this report