• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Earth Wise

A look at our changing environment.

  • Home
  • About Earth Wise
  • Where to Listen
  • All Articles
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Archives for long island

long island

Offshore Wind For New York | Earth Wise

February 10, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Offshore wind power expanding in New York State

In mid-January, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority announced that it had finalized contracts with BP and Equinor for the Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind offshore wind farms.

The agreements brought to fruition contracts that were awarded in January of 2021 and represent one of the largest clean energy procurements ever in the United States.

Under the finalized contracts, Equinor and BP will provide 1,260 megawatts of offshore wind power from Empire Wind 2 and another 1,230 megawatts from Beacon Wind 1.  Once completed, Empire Wind 1, Empire Wind 2, and Beacon Wind 1 will produce enough electricity to power about 2 million New York homes.

As part of the project, there will be substantial investments in New York infrastructure.  The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will be transformed into a major staging and assembly facility for the offshore wind industry and will be an operations and maintenance base for the project.   (The project will also invest in the Port of Albany, making it America’s first offshore wind tower and transition piece manufacturing facility).

Empire Wind is located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island and spans an area of 80,000 acres.  Its two phases will eventually have an installed capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts.

Beacon Wind is located more than 60 miles east of Montauk Point and 20 miles south of Nantucket.  It covers an area of 128,000 acres.  Its two phases will ultimately also have a total capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts.

The wind farms will help generate more than a billion dollars in economic output to New York State.  Empire Wind 1 is expected to begin commercial operation in 2026 and the other wind farms over the following couple of years.

**********

Web Links

New York State just sealed a deal for 2.5 GW of offshore wind

Photo, posted March 24, 2016, courtesy of Andy Dingley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

New York’s Polystyrene Foam Ban | Earth Wise

January 19, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

New York bans Styrofoam

As of January 1, the state of New York now prohibits any person engaged in the business of selling or distributing prepared food or beverages from selling, offering for sale, or distributing disposable food service containers that contain expanded polystyrene foam in the state.  In addition, no manufacturer will be allowed to sell, offer for sale, or distribute polystyrene loose fill packaging in the state.

In other words, there will be no more Styrofoam bowls, cartons, clamshell containers, lids, plates, trays, or packing peanuts.

There are still some exceptions.  Raw meat, seafood, poultry, or fish sold for the purpose of cooking or preparing off-premises can still be packaged in polystyrene foam.  Prepackaged food filled or sealed prior to receipt by a food service provider can also still be packaged in polystyrene foam.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is initially focusing its efforts on outreach and education to achieve compliance rather than on enforcement.   The DEC has provided detailed regulations to assist stakeholders with complying with the law.

Expanded polystyrene foam is a major contributor to environmental litter.  The material breaks apart easily and does not readily biodegrade, causing it to be persistent in the environment and contribute to microplastic pollution.  The foam causes negative impacts to wildlife, waterways, and natural resources.

An estimated 65% of New Yorkers were already living in communities that banned polystyrene foam, notably including New York City and Long Island which imposed a ban in 2019. 

New York becomes the fourth state to impose such a ban after Maine, Maryland, and Vermont.  Colorado and Virginia will follow suit in the next two years.

**********

Web Links

Expanded Polystyrene Foam Container and Polystyrene Loose Fill Packaging Ban

Photo, posted November 16, 2015, courtesy of Karim Ghantous via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

New York Offshore Wind | Earth Wise

February 18, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

New York pushes forward with offshore wind expansion

Norwegian energy company Equinor and its strategic partner bp have been selected by New York State to build several offshore wind power installations that will be one of the largest renewable energy projects in the United States to date.  When completed, the projects will provide 1,260 megawatts of offshore wind power from Empire Wind 2 and another 1,230 megawatts from Beacon Wind 1 and these will be added to the 816-megawatt project already awarded to the companies for Empire Wind 1. 

The two phases of Empire Wind are located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island and span 80,000 acres. Beacon Wind is located 60 miles east of Montauk Point and 20 miles south of Nantucket and covers 128,000 acres.  The overall development will provide 3.3 gigawatts of homegrown, renewable electricity to New York.

The projects will comprise up to $8.9 billion in investments including $664 million provided by the state.  As part of the award from NYSERDA, the companies will partner with the State to transform two New York ports – the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the Port of Albany – into large-scale offshore wind working industrial facilities that position New York to become an offshore wind industry hub.

In Albany, Equinor will join forces with wind industry companies Marmen and Welcon to help the port become America’s first offshore wind tower and transition piece manufacturing facility, where it will produce components for Equinor’s projects.

New York’s goal is to have 9 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035.  The Equinor projects will contribute more than one-third of that goal. 

**********

Web Links

New York Selects Equinor for Largest US Offshore Wind Award

Photo, posted March 24, 2016, courtesy of TEIA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

New York Offshore Wind

September 18, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

New York has passed ambitious legislation to reduce the carbon emissions that cause climate change, but the state needs to start taking action to make those reductions possible.  One such action it has taken is an agreement that will enable the construction of two large offshore wind projects.

The projects are to be built off the coast of Long Island.  One will be 14 miles south of Jones Beach and the other 30 miles north of Montauk.  The wind farms will be built by a division of Equinor, a major Danish energy company, and a joint venture between Orsted, another Danish company, and Eversource Energy, an American firm.

The two New York wind farms are expected to be operational within the next five years and have the capacity to produce 1,700 megawatts of electricity.  That is about 20% of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s overall goal for offshore wind.

Wind farms are a major energy source in the United States, now providing about 7% of the country’s electricity.  That compares with only 2% in 2010. But nearly all American wind turbines are on land.  There is only one small offshore wind farm in the US off the coast of Rhode Island.  Things are very different in Europe.  For example, Britain expects to get 10% of its electricity from offshore wind next year, which is up from less than 1% in 2010.

Developers of offshore wind farms have struggled to gain a foothold in the US.  Some projects have foundered because of cost issues, but others have faced opposition from politicians and coastal-property owners.  But assuming the New York wind projects clear permitting and environmental hurdles, offshore wind may finally be on the move in the US.

**********

Web Links

New York Awards Offshore Wind Contracts in Bid to Reduce Emissions

Photo, posted May 22, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Deepwater Aquaculture

March 14, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/EW-03-14-18-Deepwater-Aquaculture.mp3

Near-shore fish farms have created many environmental problems.   Raising large numbers of fish creates concentrations of fish waste and sea lice, which can adversely impact near-shore ecosystems.

[Read more…] about Deepwater Aquaculture

U.S. Offshore Wind Powering Up

February 26, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/EW-02-26-18-U.S.-Offshore-Wind.mp3

After many years of false starts and delays, the offshore wind industry in the U.S. finally seems to be gaining momentum.  According to the Department of Energy, more than 25 offshore wind projects with a generating capacity of 24 gigawatts are now being planned.  Most of these are off of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts.

[Read more…] about U.S. Offshore Wind Powering Up

The Spread Of Bark Beetles

November 9, 2017 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/EW-11-09-17-The-Spread-of-Bark-Beetles.mp3

Bark beetles are a global scourge of evergreen forests.  Mountain pine beetles have destroyed pine trees across western North America.  Spruce beetles decimated spruce trees from New Mexico into Colorado and beyond.  Altogether, bark beetles have ravaged 85,000 square miles of forest in the western U.S, an area the size of Utah, since 2000.  They have killed trees across an additional 65,000 square miles of British Columbian forests and have caused millions of dollars of damage to the lumber industry in states like Alabama and Mississippi.

[Read more…] about The Spread Of Bark Beetles

The Southern Pine Beetle

October 13, 2017 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/EW-10-13-17-The-Southern-Pine-Beetle.mp3

Recent sightings of a destructive tree-eating beetle in northeast pine forests have been alarming.  And a new study from Columbia University has confirmed what ecologists had feared all along:  they’re here to stay.

[Read more…] about The Southern Pine Beetle

New York’s Solar Boom

April 4, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EW-04-04-17-NYs-Solar-Boom.mp3

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that the state’s support for solar power initiatives has resulted in an 800% increase in industry growth since 2011.   New York’s various renewable energy programs have resulted in $1.5 billion in investments.  The NY-Sun Initiative has produce a 10-fold increase in solar projects in several regions of the state.  The Mohawk Valley led the way with an almost 16-fold increase in solar capacity.

[Read more…] about New York’s Solar Boom

A Big Wind Farm for New York

February 27, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/EW-02-27-17-A-Big-Wind-Farm-for-NY.mp3

The Board of Trustees of the Long Island Power Authority has voted to approve the nation’s largest offshore wind farm, which is also the first offshore wind farm in New York.  The South Fork Wind Farm, located 30 miles southeast of Montauk, New York, will be a 90 megawatt facility that will provide enough electricity to power 50,000 Long Island homes and help meet increasing electricity demand on the South Fork of Long Island.

[Read more…] about A Big Wind Farm for New York

A Blueprint For Offshore Wind In N.Y.

October 18, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/EW-10-18-16-Blueprint-for-Offshore-Wind-in-NY.mp3

The Cuomo Administration recently released the New York State Offshore Wind Blueprint, a plan to advance the development of offshore wind along New York’s coastline.

[Read more…] about A Blueprint For Offshore Wind In N.Y.

Long Island Wind

April 15, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/EW-04-15-16-Long-Island-Wind.mp3

The Interior Department has recently defined a “Wind Energy Area”, consisting of about 81,000 acres, located 11 miles south of Long Island.  The designation is a first step to opening up the acreage for large-scale, competitive wind energy leasing through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

[Read more…] about Long Island Wind

Primary Sidebar

Recent Episodes

  • A Groundwater Crisis | Earth Wise
  • Too Many Bison | Earth Wise
  • Deadly Heatwaves On The Rise | Earth Wise
  • Grid-Scale Gravity Energy Storage | Earth Wise
  • Trouble For Emperor Penguins | Earth Wise

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)

Copyright © 2023 ·