March 26, 2025 — The Nantucket-based group ACK For Whales has launched a new challenge to Vineyard Wind, filing a petition with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke the offshore wind developer’s Clean Air Act permit for the project.
The permit, which was issued by the EPA on June 21, 2021, outlines the air pollution control requirements for Vineyard Wind, ensuring that it complies with federal and state regulations. However, ACK For Whales has asserted that the agency failed to consider the additional emissions resulting from blade failure events like the one that occurred at Vineyard Wind on July 13, 2024, as well as the cumulative effects of emissions from vessels and pile driving associated with the project.
“When the Vineyard Wind 1 blade failed on July 13, 2024, it became clear that such an event had not been adequately forestalled,” the non-profit group stated in its petition. “The resultant vessel traffic to search for and collect debris, the removal of 66 installed blades including international transport of damaged and replacement blades, and re-installment of new blades is not accounted for. In addition, the emissions from likely pollution events such as blade failures is not considered as there is not even a pollution plan in the permitting documents.”
Vineyard Wind officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on ACK For Whales’ petition.
While its previous legal challenges have all been rejected, ACK For Whales’ latest effort to stymie Vineyard Wind comes amid a completely changed political landscape under President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump’s executive order signed on his inauguration day in January immediately halted any new federal leases for offshore wind projects. It also sets the stage for his administration to terminate or amend existing wind energy leases – including for projects such as Vineyard Wind and SouthCoast Wind off Nantucket – following a review by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. That review will focus on “the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal.”