Tag Archive for Off Shore Wind

On to 2018!!!

groupsummit

What a 2017 its been! Now we build, for a big 2018.

From renewable energy advocacy and expansion, to climate actions and protection of our local environment, we did so much together with you.
And we’ve done it all through the incredible efforts of our volunteer teams. Your support provides the materials and supplies that they need to make change a reality.

As 2017 began, we built community.
yearendwinter

Our volunteers reached out to over 150 merchants about the Long Beach Bag law- work no one else would do.
We turned out 80% of the comments on the LIPA & PSEG LI revised plan to include more renewables.
Then we put our fundraising efforts into machine washable reusable bags for those who needed them, instead of our operations…
Because it all needed to be DONE.
None would have happened without our team.

SPRING CLIMATE CHANGED

_DSC6038cc

We helped kick off the Long Beach Bag Law with help from so many on Earth Day.
The next week we helped 1000 successfully join the People’s Climate March in Long Beach with our partner organizations.
With those partners, we organized the LI Climate Summit, where over 200 attendees workshopped on ways to address climate change.

SUMMER OF SUN
yearendsummer

With help from our friends at EmPower Solar we launched a far-reaching talk on Long Island community solar.
We helped drive public turnout to hear about the Off Shore Wind Farm off Long Beach
Our Nassau-County-wide reusable bag campaign kicked off in Sea Cliff and Lynbrook, including building teams of local volunteers.
We joined in the Long Beach edition of International Coastal Clean Up day with many incredible partners.

FALL TO NOW

yearendfall
We brought together many partners for the local screening of “Ocean Frontiers 3”, with an amazing panel discussion.
Our Sea Cliff Team made huge strides meeting 600 petition signers in one day, with additional events now involving the Village of Sea Cliff.
We helped remove over 300 pounds of recyclables & trash with the Town of Hempstead at Lido Town Beach
We raised another 900 bags donated from companies, making the total given away this year to over 1600 so everyone can bring their own bag!!

As we go into the new year, support is needed for All Our Energy’s important work to continue into 2018. As a 501c3 organization, all donations to All Our Energy are tax deductible.

You can click here to make a donation.

Thank you for being there with us.

LIPA Board Meeting July 20, 2017

LIPA said “whoa”, and rejected this round, in investing in more off shore wind, new solar farms, and pretty much anything they had going.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/source-lipa-rejects-planned-solar-farm-offshore-wind-project-1.13813172

Then, at yesterday’s board meeting, the attitude of some of them was that they “have time” to act.

Our volunteer Joanne was there to speak and told them these delays are a huge disappointment, and that no, they don’t have time to stop climate change by putting off decisions. Thank You Joanne!

Obviously, we are going to raise a giant stink that they have now reneged on their MANDATED 300 megawatts of renewables in the pipeline by 2018.
This is EXACTLY WHY these supposed mandates (“50% renewables by 2030” anyone? “up to 2400 megawatts of off shore wind by 2030”??) Its all meaningless when Every…Single….Time these state agencies fail to produce what is REQUIRED of themselves which are ALREADY so watered down to a minimal number and extended timeline in the first place.
Remember, the groups in the Off Shore Wind Alliance were pushing for what was thought a reasonably realistic and imperative first start of 5000 megawatts of off shore wind by 2025…
It does not bode well and it is nonsense to talk about a 25 or even 50 cent rate increase as being an issue for needed renewables, when every home was mandated to pay $4 a month for the profits bailout for upstate nuclear power plants with virtually no public input or response to objections.
The off shore wind campaign continues, as will our community solar effort to get the renewables we desperately need on to the grid… and Sea Cliff says GO!!
unnamed (65)
We had a great turnout at the launch of our reusable bag campaign at Creative Arts Studio in Sea Cliff as our first locality in Nassau. Volunteer members who join the All Our Energy team, can act to build and expand the campaign in their local community with us, and we will empower them to help push the campaign locally. Thanks for all the hard Work To John, Lorraine, and Tracy who got the Sea Cliff movement off the ground.

Climate Underlies It All

Climate and the environment are the root of all we do.  Solutions are what we can do NOW.

At All Our Energy, just because we are focused on the solutions: renewable energy and stopping pollution in all forms; whether it be an LNG Port, an unnecessary fossil fuel power plant, or the needless waste of single use plastic bags- doesn’t mean we should forget what drives our actions.
Climate change and the degradation of air, land, and water for human livability is where we spring to action from.

So you want to see what climate change “looks like”?
Earlier this year, the alarming “climate spiral” visualization was released, showing the months of the year represented as a circle, with recorded monthly temperatures added in, over time. It clearly shows the spiral getting larger then dramatically larger, representing higher temperature, as we reach the present.
The original was scary enough, showing the dramatic increase and acceleration in global warming up to the present day. This new projection shows the unprecedented temperature spike we are in now…. and takes us where it leads.

heres a 3-d representation:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cVt6ximM4hE

Here’s a graph that shows “yes, this is how quick (climate change) is happening“.

No one is coming to save us. No magic carbon vacuum is coming that costs less than the immediate “benefits” of fossil fuels. The free market isn’t coming. Its been nearly 30 years since James Hansen sat in front of congress imploring action on climate. Nothing has changed. We can not afford to wait. Maybe, too, we can not afford to be so focused solely on solutions. Maybe this focus on solutions hurts our public awareness by skipping the first step of the discussion: “we have a problem- something must be done- you can continue as part of that problem, or decide to become the solution”.
We need to make that change now. We have no time to wait for polluters and their employees in the field, in their law offices, or in government to “change their mind” or agree to some watered-down version of what needs to be done: a concerted, citizen-powered changeover to 100% renewable energy, with as much transportation, heating and cooking switched to clean, renewable-generated electricity ASAP.

To survive, we must transition to a renewable generated economy that values workers, the environment, local communities and empowers all to take part however they can, to foster that transformation of our society and ensure livability of the planet for future generations. Germany did this and produce more solar than the US in a fraction of the size and the solar resource. Denmark did this and got massive amounts of wind energy (and the leading international wind industry that goes with it).

The good news: we here on Long Island are finally have the potential to lead a massive switch to renewables in the form of our potential 35000 megawatts, (with realistic expectations at about 10,000-15,000) of readily available off shore wind power.
The bad news: this process, without encountering resistance(just elected), technical issues, policy or leadership changes(just changed), or any of a multitude of potential delays, has been decided to take at least 5-7 years, with reality possibly longer. This is only for the first wind farm. Policy has rendered commercial scale off shore wind development for the entire US to merely BEGIN operations in 2022-2025. It could be another 10-20 years after that for full deployment.
This is time we just don’t have. We have much to do now to avoid new fossil fuel and dangerous nuclear from being added, before we can offset any need for them.  tick-tick-tick.

Coast Guard favored anti-wind lobbyists and denied it, says report 

img_5278
My first question when this USCG report was released in March 2016, and highlighted in the article Coast Guard Study Blockades Offshore Wind Energy, which demanded extra setbacks beyond the miles-wide existing shipping lanes, was- “says who?” There was no info on who produced this study and no reason why US Shipping interests were unable to work in a multitudinally wider area than Europe already has no problem with.

Now a report released this week from the public interest group Checks and Balances, about the otherwise inexplicable extra 2 mile setbacks recently forced on the Long Beach / Rockaway wind farm (and ostensibly everything from here on out) says outside lobbyists did have a say and that information on who is behind this study is being both denied and withheld.

This study was news from March 2016 (during NY Off Shore Wind Area BOEM lease announcement time). Then, it was inexplicably “dredged up” months later again by Newsday’s Mark Harrington in July. We were wondering why this old news was just hitting the radar of the preeminent energy journalist’s expertise.  While all the talk was off shore wind and LIPA’s upcoming planned announcement to buy it, this instead was his article: “Study: LI Wind Farm Sites Risky”(print version title).

We must demand an explanation, release of the documents, identities of the players, and a true impartial reexamination based on the actual science and data, the article cites they never did.

We seem to be just taking regulators at their word right now, and though no need to antagonize, its good to recognize so early on in this process, that acceptance is not in our best interest.
I ask myself: Why was this coast guard setback just accepted by us, the developers, and the entire advocacy community?
followlogo

 

It seems to me that that’s not our job. Our job is to get massive offshore wind built right and as soon as possible. BOEM’s timeline announcement in June 2016, which already stretches this process to 5-7 years, 2-3 times what an off shore fossil fuel drilling process takes, and with no guarantee lawsuits could not extend this, is not soon at all.

The climate just cannot wait. We won’t either.

Wind 4 LI Wind Advocates Meeting

IC1603hdr

 

 

Join our Wind 4 LI advocacy meeting at Long Beach Public Library
Thursday 6/16 at 7PM
111 West Park Ave Long Beach

https://www.facebook.com/events/1641758179481868/

Leading to next Week’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) public meetings, especially our local one at Hofstra University, we will discuss what this means, what is at stake, and help YOU become involved in the process and attend BOEM’s Meeting at Hofstra University.

followlogo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From BOEM:

On June 6, 2016, BOEM published an Environmental Assessment (EA) in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. The EA considers potential impacts associated with issuing a lease, associated surveys, and approving the installation of resource assessment facilities (i.e., meteorological tower and/or buoys) in the New York Wind Energy Area.

BOEM will hold public meetings in June to provide an overview of the EA findings and offer additional opportunities for public comments. BOEM’s public meetings will be held at the following locations:

Monday June 20, 2016
Long Branch Middle School (Auditorium)
404 Indiana Avenue, Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
6:00- 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday June 21, 2016
Hofstra University (MPR Room)
900 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, New York 11549
6:00- 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016 (Note: New location)
Westhampton Beach Elementary School
379 Mill Road, Westhampton Beach, New York 11978
6:00- 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 23, 2016
University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus, Coastal Institute Building (Hazard Rooms A & B)
215 S Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882
6:00- 8:00 p.m.

Monday, June 27, 2016
Waypoint Event Center at Fairfield Inn & Suites
Sea Loft Room
185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

In addition to the EA meetings, BOEM will host an auction seminar in New York City to describe the auction format, explain the auction rules and demonstrate the auction process through meaningful examples. It will be followed by a public meeting on BOEM’s planning and leasing efforts regarding New York offshore wind energy activities. The public seminar and public meeting will be held at the following location:

Wednesday, June 29, 2016
TKP New York Conference Center, Empire A Room
109 W 39th St., New York, NY 10018
Auction Seminar: 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Public Meeting: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. (with an overview presentation at 5:30 p.m.)

Day of Action for Off Shore Wind & Clean Energy

On 5/18/16, All Our Energy and partners staged a rally out front of LIPA’s offices, and then spoke at their board meeting that the time has come for off shore wind!

IMG_3165

Speakers represented the benefits of off shore wind from jobs, to climate benefits, to getting what we pay for in our rates!

IMG_3164

Great work from our team- Matt, K.C., Sam, Karen, and our incredible Speakers- Gordian Raacke of Renewable Energy Long Island, Peter Gollon from Sierra Club Long Island Group, Lisa Oldendorp from Move On, Olga Filakouris from NYPIRG, Joe Tonini from Sierra Club, Lou Sabbatini from Sierra Club, Sam Caslowitz of All Our Energy, and of course Matt Kearns who emceed the day, and designed the 20 foot tall turbine and plugs signs!

 

 

Press from Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/article/plug-me-long-islanders-take-action-for-renewable-energy-offshore-windpower

 

CESsnip

 

 

 

more photos:

 

https://www.facebook.com/AllOurEnergy/posts/984340044996327

 

Then we went to the Nassau Clean Energy Standard hearing which had a great turnout and some really great testimony from renewable energy advocates.  I had stopped my testimony to ask how many people supported a bold move into off shore wind… and pretty much the entire room raised their hand in favor of it. 

check our social media for video of the turbine raising!

A very successful day in support of clean energy for LI thanks to YOU and your support and action!!

 

Send a Postcard to LIPA for Off Shore Wind

Postcards are available now for you to write and send to the LIPA board!

 

postcardslipaa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let LIPA know you are in favor of off shore wind! We will have these at all events for the public to sign!!!
We have plenty, but they need to get to LIPA ASAP to make an impact and let them know the public supports OSW instead of new fossil fuels!!

Wind Farm Area Announced Off Long Beach

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the official start of the process to create the wind farm area 11 miles south of our shores at Long Beach

boemLB

 

 
Read Long Beach Herald article here: Feds identify offshore wind farm site

Want to see what it might look like from the beach? Click here
All Our Energy will be advocating 100% FOR IT and advocating it be done to the highest environmental, wildlife, and shared-use standards possible for best outcomes. As residents of a 100 mile long island that is very vulnerable to climate impacts, we cannot afford to stay on the fossil fuels driving that climate change. The impacts of off shore wind would be minute, compared to more or continued dirty energy use.

If you have any questions about it, please contact us and we will address your concerns or find out the answers you seek. 

Today we told LIPA- its time for renewables!

 

Today we rallied at the Long Island Power Authority Trustee meeting to tell them “Plug Me In To Off Shore Wind!”

iphone20160408 810

 

 

All Our Energy were part of over 100 activists and demonstrators at this week’s LIPA Board meeting.

LIPA Chairman Suozzi asked, and not a single person in the room was against developing off shore wind. I spoke in favor of moving forward with off shore wind right now for the power they need to generate for the South Fork of LI.  For the same price we can have clean energy with battery storage from an off shore wind farm 30 miles from Montauk, or build new fossil fuel power plants and gas pipelines to feed them across the island, including sensitive nature areas.  Why would we not move into the renewable energy future??

iphone20160408 813

 

 

 

 

read about it here:

Dozens protest to approve offshore LI wind turbines
VIDEO: Dozens rally for LIPA approval of offshore wind turbines


Plus about the Off Shore Wind Forum from last week in East Hampton
http://mobile.easthamptonstar.com/News/2016324/Swell-Support-Buoys-Wind-Project