Primary source
Did you knowFreedom Team · 37
Wind Turbines
Park City Wind, Barnstable's agreement, and residents' rights.
Primary source
Did you knowEasements over conservation land require an Article 97 two-thirds legislative vote — Dowses Beach, Covell's and Craigville were each affected.
Primary source
Did you knowUnder the Host Community Agreement announced May 19, 2022, Park City Wind's transmission cables come ashore under the Craigville Beach parking lot and run to a new substation on Shootflying Hill Road, in exchange for a $16 million host fee.
The developer also agreed to confine beach and roadway construction to non-summer months.
Primary source
Did you knowPark City Wind was revived as 'New England Wind 1,' with the same federal lease area and Craigville Beach landfall, and NOAA issued incidental-take rules in May 2026 covering construction through March 2030.
The project is permitted and moving, not cancelled.
Primary source
Did you knowA senior NOAA scientist wrote to federal regulators on May 13, 2022 that waters south of Nantucket are the only known winter foraging area for North Atlantic right whales, recommending a buffer of at least 20 km.
Sean Hayes (NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center) warned the oceanographic effects on the whales' food supply could not be mitigated over the project's operating life.
Primary source
Did you knowPeer-reviewed research projects about 43 million tonnes of wind-turbine blade waste worldwide by 2050, because thermoset composite blades cannot be melted down and are mostly landfilled.
About 2.2 million tonnes of that is projected in the U.S.
Primary source
Did you knowState data show Vineyard Wind's contracts took effect in April 2026 at $69.50 per megawatt-hour, below recent Southeast Massachusetts winter prices of $127-$180.
The state projects about $1.4 billion in ratepayer savings over 20 years — worth knowing before claiming offshore wind raises electric bills.
Public record
Did you knowCouncilor John Crow: "this process denied residents rights that they are due — and that as taxpayers — they deserve."
Public record
Did you knowThe Town negotiated the first Park City Wind HCA in 2022 without community meetings beforehand, and chose not to intervene before the Energy Facilities Siting Board.
Reported by
Did you knowFederal regulators' own environmental review finds offshore wind will have major long-term adverse impacts on commercial fishing.
Reported by
Did you knowNOAA's Sean Hayes: disturbance to right-whale foraging "could have population-level effects on an already endangered and stressed species."
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Did you knowBOEM found the projects would have "no measurable influence on climate change."
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Did you knowBarnstable signed a host community agreement in which Avangrid pays a $16 million fee related to Park City Wind.
Receipt Boston.com, Nov. 17, 2023
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Did you knowEmployees listing Avangrid as employer made 217 donations totaling $57,677 to state and local campaigns since 2018, including $16,425 to Gov. Healey and $3,036 to Sen. Cyr.
Every donation is a public record — verify individual contributions at OCPF (ocpf.us).
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Did you knowAvangrid cancelled Park City Wind's power contracts in October 2023, paying about $16.07 million to exit Connecticut contracts — a different sum from Barnstable's $16 million host fee.
The two '$16 million' figures are often confused; they are unrelated.
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Did you knowA Vineyard Wind blade failed on July 13, 2024, scattering debris on Nantucket beaches, and the manufacturer blamed a 'manufacturing deviation' its quality assurance should have caught.
Federal regulators (BSEE) ordered the project to stop producing power; GE Vernova re-inspected all blades from its Gaspe, Canada plant.
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Did you knowGE Vernova agreed to a $10.5 million settlement with Nantucket on July 11, 2025, and the town refused to include Vineyard Wind as a signatory.
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Did you knowHigh-voltage switchgear, including wind-farm switchgear, uses SF6 gas, which has about 23,500 times the warming potential of CO2 and a roughly 3,200-year atmospheric lifetime.
In fairness, SF6 is used across the whole electric grid, not only by wind.
Receipt National Grid, 'What is SF6?'
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Did you knowThe Barnstable Town Council approved the revised Park City Wind deal on a 7-5 vote.
The revised deal: $16M upfront at construction start plus $10M for roadway, sewer and school work.
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Did you knowA Boston Herald analysis found Avangrid employees made 217 donations totaling $57,677 to Massachusetts campaigns since March 2018, including 17 contributions totaling $3,036 to Sen. Julian Cyr since 2021.
Small dollar amounts; the analysis concerns disclosure and influence, not illegality.
Receipt Boston Herald, Avangrid employee donation analysis (July 2024)
Our view
Did you knowThe plan: attend Councilor Conversations, carry Pocket Pages, build a communication tree, and vote for councilors who support residents' rights.
Receipt Freedom Focus
Needs a source
Did you knowThere is not a facility large enough to properly test the blades, according to an engineer at Green Oceans.
Receipt Green Oceans engineer (verbal)
Know the source? Send it to usNeeds a source
Did you knowThe Cape's sole-source aquifer may be at risk from cable routing.
Receipt Freedom Focus
Know the source? Send it to usFreedom Focus · FreedomFocus.info · FactsForFreedom@protonmail.com · Printed 2026-09-29