September 23, 2024
ACK for Whales Brief to Supreme Court filed

ACK For Whales asks the Supreme Court to hear the appeal and files a petition for Certiorari Seeking a Review of the First Circuit’s decision. First offshore wind case to go to Supreme Court since Loper Bright decision

Read the Full Press Release Here

Read the Full Brief Here

ACK for Whales has called for a moratorium on offshore wind development. Native American Tribes and other groups have called for the same. We hope The Town of Nantucket will join us.

The blade failure makes it clear: the risks from massive offshore wind power plants is too great for Nantucket's environment!

Click here to see ACK for Whales response to The Town of Nantucket’s FAQs regarding the Good Neighbor Agreement

Thank you 167 Raw Nantucket !

Please join us for a mid summer fundraising & awareness event! Food by 167, drinks by Cisco Brewers, 6pm–9pm August 8th. All proceeds go to ACK4Whales and will support our effort to keep our oceans wild.

Vineyard Wind’s epic blade failure demonstrates that they are NOT good neighbors.

Please join us in our efforts to stop this environmental disaster.  We are petitioning the Supreme Court and will be taking additional legal action to hold government agencies and developers accountable to follow important environmental laws. We need your support now more than ever.

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Whales and turbines don’t mix!

  • Offshore Wind Turbines

    Reasons why some people oppose industrial wind turbine development:

    • Damage to pristine ocean views
    • Higher electric rates
    • Threats to coastal economies

  • OUR concern is turbines and offshore substations with vast undersea cable systems will:

    • Damage Nantucket’s fragile marine ecosystem
    • Compromise Nantucket’s National Historic Landmark designation
    • Wreak havoc on native birds and fish
    • Cause direct harm to the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, potentially destroying one of the whale's last remaining refuges and nursery sites.

  • OUR lawsuit aims to halt the process allowing for proper studies and steps to be taken to protect:

    • Nantucket‘s pristine environment
    • The North Atlantic Right Whale

  • The North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) is a federally-listed endangered species whose population has dropped sharply in the last ten years.

  • Currently, there are just over 300 individuals – that’s it – and female reproductive success has diminished to the point where the species will soon become extinct absent aggressive intervention and protection.

  • As it happens, the waters south of Nantucket are a refuge for NARWs. In fact, these waters are the only known year-round habitat and winter foraging grounds for NARWs. If the species is going to recover, the waters off Nantucket must be heavily protected and closely monitored.

  • Unfortunately, this is precisely the area that BOEM has identified for extensive offshore wind development. Specifically, BOEM has issued leases for 9 different wind energy projects, all in this same area. Vineyard Wind 1 is the first to be approved by our federal government. It will be followed by SouthCoast Wind and Park City Wind. The other 5 adjacent projects will come soon after.

  • Each project will require potentially fatal pile driving hundreds of feet into the ocean floor and thousands of vessel trips per year for construction, operating and maintenance.

  • In the end, the waters south of Nantucket – the same waters that provide critical refuge for NARW – will be covered with wind turbine power plants covering and area larger than the State of Rhode Island!

Wind lease area south of Nantucket will encompass 1400 turbines and will be larger than the State of Rhode Island.

Since December of 2022, more than 72 dead whales have washed up on the shores along the East Coast. This is an unprecedented rate and correlates directly with increased sound-generating survey work for offshore wind projects. This validates our concerns about these offshore projects' impact on marine life, specifically whales.