Submitted by Sue Swanson.
Bedford residents Carolyn Weaver, Sue Swanson, and Ron Swanson, joined 110 people from across the Northeast on an August 2018 “Trek to the Turbines” sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and Greenfaith, an interfaith environmental organization. We boarded a chartered ferry boat in Kingston RI for the 45-minute trip to the five turbines, located three miles off Block Island.
In addition to getting to see the magnificent 600-foot high turbines and hear the gentle whoosh as the blades rotated over our heads, we learned from local ironworkers about the job-creation benefits that these immense structures offer. Representatives from the NWF described the care taken to minimize impacts on the Right Whale population and local bird migrations. We also heard from urban ministers seeking ways to alleviate asthma and other respiratory diseases inner-city children suffer from because of air pollution. Religious leaders from many faiths testified to the value of clean energy for the health of their parishioners and for the health of the planet. And we were reaffirmed in our commitment to the multiple benefits of this clean energy source.
These five Block Island turbines are a foretaste of more to come! They currently generate enough energy to power 17,000 homes. Massachusetts already has an ambitious plan for offshore wind farms; other coastal states are seriously considering similar initiatives. The coastal waters off New England are a near perfect location for offshore wind power generation and have the potential to provide clean electrical power to thousands of homes and businesses in the years to come.
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