- Public interest groups have instituted litigation against the recent approval of the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind.
- A lawsuit against the Biden administration in the US District Court for the District of Columbia was filed on Monday.
Public interest groups have instituted litigation against the recent approval of the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW). They complained that regulators have failed to consider the project’s impact on endangered whales.
A lawsuit against the Biden administration in the US District Court for the District of Columbia was filed on Monday by the Heartland Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and the National Legal and Policy Centre.
Also, the plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction of the approval of the offshore wind project, aiming to block Dominion Energy Inc. from kicking off construction on May 1, as planned. They aim to halt construction until agencies provide “verifiable protection” against potential harm to the North Atlantic right whale population.
According to the group, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and other government agencies have ignored “glaring and obvious procedural errors” that expose the North Atlantic right whale to further danger.
It also states that BOEM has failed to properly assess the potential harm the wind turbines would inflict on the species, of which only about 350 individuals remain.
Furthermore, the 176-turbine CVOW complex will be built in a nearly 113,000-acre (45,730-hectare) lease area off the coast of Virginia Beach. The offshore wind farm will become operational in late 2026 and will be able to deliver electricity to 660,000 homes.