Block Island Wind Turbines Half-Mile Spacing

The commercial fishing vessel F/V Mistress sank in rough weather near Block Island, Rhode Island, shortly after midnight on January 1, 2019, resulting in the tragic deaths of two crew members. 
.
In a "targeted" dive, seven years after it sank, a shipwreck believed to be the commercial fishing vessel F/V Mistress was discovered in September 2026, resting just 50 feet from the base of turbine No. 1 at the Block Island Wind Farm.
.
Coast Guard records confirm that an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter abandoned its aerial search for the commercial fishing vessel F/V Mistress on January 1, 2019, due to the proximity to the Block Island wind turbines.  The MH-60 is fully instrument-rated, leveraging a digital glass cockpit with advanced GPS (RNAV), TACAN, and Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) to navigate safely through dense clouds and zero-visibility conditions. 
.
The community and local maritime groups had long-standing radar concerns that 500-foot commercial wind turbines—spaced just a half-mile apart—create clutter and "ghost readings" that severely hinder search and rescue (SAR) electronics during heavy storms. 
.
The approval and environmental assessment of the Block Island Wind Farm—including the layouts, navigation pathways, and the specific 1/2 mile spacing between turbines—involved a collaborative review by federal and state agencies 
.
The primary regulatory bodies responsible for reviewing and approving the project layouts and spacing were:
.
Federal Agencies: 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): environment 
US Coast Guard: safety, radar, vessel transit zones 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management BOEM ): transmission right-of-way
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): adverse impacts, spacing turbines 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): Aviation safety 
.
Rhode Island State Agencies: 
Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC): lead permitting agency 
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management RIDEM: Local coast impacts 
.
Note: # Long before construction of the Block Island wind project, on October 7, 2008, a meeting was held at the Hyannis Marina in Massachusetts regarding Cape Wind. The meeting involved the fishing industry addressing marine radar interference and the need for turbine spacing of two to three nautical miles. The Block Island turbines were in operation by 2016.
.
Offshore wind submarine cables can sell for up to $1000.00 per foot. Wind turbine advocates, politicians, and construction companies wanted the project to proceed with 1/2 mile spacing rather than two or more nautical miles.   
  .
#Follow the money 



Views: 21

Comment

You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!

Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

Not yet a member?

Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?

We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

 -- Mahatma Gandhi

"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi 

Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!

Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

© 2026   Created by Webmaster.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service