Photo courtesy of Shay O'Reilly
Last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Amanda Lefton broke ground on construction for New York’s first offshore wind farm, and the second commercial-scale offshore wind project to be approved by the federal government. The South Fork Wind Farm begins construction this year and is expected to begin operation at the end of 2023. It will power 70,000 homes, and create hundreds of local, union jobs.
This groundbreaking is the culmination of almost a decade of advocacy, planning, and collaboration among state and federal government, NGOs, unions, communities and developers. The Sierra Club started campaigning on offshore wind in 2013, and soon New York Wind was launched, a coalition that grew to include around 60 organizations. Sierra Club volunteer Matt Kearns helped launch Sierra Club’s offshore wind campaign on Long Island with the Wind100, a 100-mile run for wind energy from Montauk to Jones Beach, with volunteers holding rallies at communities that had been hit hard by Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. The devastation from those storms convinced many local residents that the climate crisis was here and dangerous, and that we urgently needed to move away from fossil fuels.
Following a prediction of a power shortfall for the East End, the Long Island Power Authority solicited bids for new electric generation in 2016. The South Fork Wind Farm was the most cost-effective way to meet this power need, and Sierra Club and our allies campaigned to make sure that everyone realized this new-to-New York technology was the best option – an opportunity for Long Island communities to make an environmentally responsible, cost-effective decision and become part of the solution to the climate crisis.
To build people power and convince public officials, coalition volunteers attended community meetings, knocked on doors, had one-on-one conversations, met with local and state public officials, and rallied at countless Long Island Power Authority board meetings, with hundreds of pro-wind community members attending. In February 2021, the Beyond Coal Campaign in New York organized around BOEM’s public comment period on this project, gathering 1,407 comments in support of the project.
South Fork Wind Farm is the first step towards achieving New York’s goal of nine gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2035, enough to power six million homes, and President Biden’s nationwide goal of having 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. It will also help the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton achieve their goal of running on 100 percent clean energy. These goals form the bedrock of a thriving new industry that will bring good-paying union jobs and economic prosperity, and form a strong base for a fossil-fuel-free economy in New York.
The Long Island Federation of Labor and Long Island Building and Construction Trades played a critical role in shaping the vision and building the campaign for offshore wind in Long Island from the beginning. As a result, New York has the boldest labor standards in the nation for offshore wind projects, such as requiring project labor agreements, investments in union-led job training, and home-grown manufacturing of wind components. As other states develop offshore wind, New York will set the standard.
South Fork Wind Farm will be followed by two more offshore wind farms, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. Together, they’re expected to power one million homes in New York by 2024.