The case for wind power

There is no better argument for offshore wind than the loss of life and billions of dollars in property damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton across the southern United States. Every responsible scientific analysis of these storms makes it clear their extraordinary winds, endurance and rainfall are caused by an ocean superheated by climate change.As climate impacts intensify, we must move quickly to cut carbon pollution that is increasing our planet's temperature and fueling its storms. If we don't, we may soon face damaging hurricanes here in the Northeast, according to a Yale study on the ramifications of warming water.Harbingers of that future are already here: rising seas, depleted fisheries, beach erosion, record heat and a 38 percent increase in Connecticut precipitation, which recently caused massive flooding and three deaths.Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have a special role to play in driving a change that will stem carbon dioxide levels and replace fossil fuels with clean energy. It is right there in front of us on our windswept Atlantic Ocean — an area with such enormous potential for clean energy it has been called "the Saudi Arabia of wind."Unfortunately, offshore wind has recently experienced temporary setbacks such as post-pandemic supply chain issues and high inflation. These economic challenges are exacerbated by rising misinformation about offshore wind, much of it driven by front groups connected to and in some cases funded by oil, gas and coal interests.One example: A New England-wide misinformation campaign blaming whale deaths on offshore wind turbines — a campaign widely discredited by scientists and with no basis in fact.A second setback came with the fracture of a Vineyard Wind project turbine blade off Massachusetts. A massive construction project is, unfortunately, going to have accidents. But unlike common fossil fuel industry accidents like oil spills that kill millions of fish and birds, or oil platform explosions that take human life while despoiling thousands of miles of beach, the broken turbine simply dropped nontoxic fiberglass and metal in the ocean. That debris has been cleaned up. There are no credible reports of marine life deaths. No one was injured. And workers are back on site awaiting clearance to once again produce electricity.Disinformation efforts are increasingly centered on fossil-industry untruths about the cost of offshore wind, something that understandably resonates with Connecticut residents already grappling with high electric rates. But the media and the public need to know where much of this comes from. A recent op-ed on electric costs in one Connecticut newspaper was authored by the sincere-sounding Consumers Energy Alliance. But that group is simply a front for a Houston public relations and lobbying firm paid for by the fossil fuel industry.So, what is the true story on cost?Connecticut relies heavily on burning imported fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, to generate electricity. These fuels are costly and prices are volatile, driven by supply issues including war. As a result, New Englanders pay some of the highest electricity prices in the country.Offshore wind, however, is local and has no fuel costs. A recent in-depth analysis by the research firm Synapse shows that nine gigawatts of wind energy by 2030 would, on average, save New Englanders $630 million on electricity bills annually and keep $1.57 billion within the region's economy that would otherwise be lost importing natural gas from other regions or countries.As Helene and Milton have shown, we need to get going.One possibility is a deal that Gov. Ned Lamont has reportedly offered Massachusetts — that state would buy some of the energy produced by the Millstone nuclear plant, and Connecticut would pick up the cost of 400 megawatts of the 1,200 MW Vineyard Offshore wind project now on the drawing board. Vineyard Offshore — also called Vineyard Wind 2 — would deliver enough clean electricity to power 650,000 New England homes while providing 400 jobs and $682 million in direct economic benefits to the state of Connecticut.If Gov. Lamont's offer to Massachusetts does not go through and no one buys that 400 MW, it is likely that the entire project will die. That is something we absolutely cannot afford.Shannon Laun is Vice President of Conservation Law Foundation Connecticut.