POWW was formed in opposition to Vineyard Wind's plan to land 800MW (800,000,000 watts) of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables on Horseneck Beach State Reservation .

Horseneck Beach is protected under MA Article 97 & The Public Lands Preservation Act. Private and public landowners must abide by significant regulations, such as not allowing dogs on the beach, no kite flying, no fireworks, limits on seaweed removal and restrictions on when and how all beach-protection/clean-up projects can be done.

Landing high-voltage cabling on Horseneck would have detrimental impacts on priority habitat and vernal pools certified as "protected" by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP), which is part of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Vineyard Wind's cabling route for its Northeast project cuts under and through the nesting grounds of the federally-listed piping plover and state-listed least tern. Two other federally-listed birds (roseate tern and red knot), 15 state-listed bird species, and 19  bird species of "conservation concern" are also present at or near the Horseneck Beach Landfall Site. 

Although Vineyard Wind recently stated they are deferring immediate plans to run through Westport, it is clear from the massive scope of offshore wind (OSW) development underway across 1,400 square miles off Rhode Island and Massachusetts' SouthCoast that Westport is a prime target for at least one cable landing. 

The Vineyard Northeast Construction and Operations Plan describes the Westport cable corridor route in detail.

Vineyard Wind LLC is a 50/50 partnership between Avangrid Renewables LLC (owned primarily by Iberdrola) and the Danish investment firm, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The largest shareholder of Iberdrola is the Qatar Investment Authority, with BlackRock and Norges Bank (the national bank of Norway) also holding significant interests. 

HVDC and HVAC cable landings on beaches and cable laying through towns are invasive and threatening.  The threat comes from electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by the cable. 

Vineyard Northeast plans to land two HVDC cable "bundles" on Horseneck Beach, each bundle carrying 400MW of electrical current. Vineyard Wind 1 landed 800MW onto Covell's Beach in Barnstable, MA in 2022-2023. Landing onshore cabling is part of the first construction phase of an offshore wind project, taking approximately two years to complete.

EMF readings at Covell's Beach registered 78 milligauss (mG) on 4/30/2024. It should be noted that this reading was done when only 5 of Vineyard Wind 1's 62 turbines were in operation.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health states that EMF exposure in our homes averages less than 3mG and advises that high-voltage transmissions lines should be located no closer than 300 feet away from homes (Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF): Health Concerns).  Real estate professionals often advise it is best to live 700-1,000 feet from high-voltage lines to limit EMF exposure and loss of property values.

• Multiple studies have shown an association between regular EMF exposure above 3mg and childhood leukemia.

• Other studies have suggested a link between EMF exposure in electrical workers and leukemia and brain cancer.

• There is also strong evidence that utility workers exposed to high levels of EMF may be at increased risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). 

The CT Department of Public Health states, "Although the current scientific evidence provides no definitive answers as to whether EMF exposure can increase health risks, there is enough uncertainty that some people may want to reduce their exposure to EMF." However, a meta-analysis of EMF/cancer studies by the Institute for Health and the Environment, University of Albany found that sources of funding for these studies significantly affected results.

"When one allows for bias reflected in source of funding, the evidence that magnetic fields increase risk of cancer is neither inconsistent nor inconclusive. Furthermore adults are also at risk, not just children, and there is strong evidence for cancers in addition to leukemia, particularly brain and breast cancer (Institute for Health and the Environment, University of Albany, 2019)."

Effects of EMFs generated onshore at cable landings and along cable routes must be addressed fully and openly by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the federal agency responsible for OSW development.

At the base minimum, the one certainty about EMF exposure is that, while wind companies and some scientists say the literature on the effects of EMF on humans and animals is inconclusive, there is no guarantee that harmful effects do not exist.

If EMG readings at Covell's Beach are 78mG with only 5 turbines running, what EMF emissions will occur on Horseneck Beach when all of Vineyard Northeast's 160 turbines are operative? And what does this mean for beachgoers? What does this mean for all—humans and nonhumans—who live close to the extended cable route?

Vineyard Northeast plans to bring its cabling across the Westport River at a narrow intersection where the river's east and west branches meet, just west of the Norman Edward Fontaine Bridge (Route 88). POWW is especially concerned that fish migrating from the ocean into the Westport Harbor and up into the East Branch to spawn will be deterred from crossing the EMF generated by a 800MW transmission line. 

It is well known that dolphins, whales, sea turtles, sharks, stingrays, skates, lobsters, crabs and many other marine species are very sensitive to low levels of EMFs. Chronic exposure to EMF has been shown to result in significant developmental abnormalities (physical deformities and impaired swimming abilities) among crustacea.

Some species rely on Earth's naturally occurring EMFs for navigation; others sense the presence of prey through the EMF all living beings emit. According to the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, “EMF can distort the natural geomagnetic field that marine organisms rely on to navigate, particularly if they swim or drift 10 meters/33 feet near the cables" ("Electric and magnetic senses in marine animals, and potential behavioral effects of electromagnetic surveys," Daniel Nyqvist et a., Mar Environ Res., 2020 March).

The alewife migrates from the ocean into the Westport Harbor and up the East Branch of the Westport River to spawn. Winter flounder and blackfish also migrate to and from the East Branch.

• How will these fish be affected by the proposed cabling?

• Will cabling brought across the Westport River prohibit or alter fish migration between the two branches?

• What impacts on aquatic life and the broader watershed and coastal ecosystem will this construction have?

A review of the literature of the effects of high-voltage export cables on marine life reveals at least one disconcerting truth: There are huge gaps in our knowledge about the impacts of EMF on marine ecosystems.

POWW insists that it is the duty of Vineyard Wind to prove that marine species who depend on the Westport River will not be negatively impacted before any plans to accommodate the proposed Westport cable route are allowed to proceed.

The cabling will be routed along the west side of John Reid Road to the Westport River boat ramp (a town mananged, but state-owned property), where the river crossing will be made to Westport Point. From there Vineyard Northeast proposes two possible routes: one north up state road Route 88, with an alternative up Main Street to Sanford Road.

Although the Main Street/Sanford Road route would be somewhat less problematic with regard to the disturbance of wetlands, streams and vernal pools, it is unlikely that route will be selected. Certainly there would be much public opposition to that alternative because of impacts to private property and major, long-term traffic disruption on those narrow, but primary town thoroughfares. Therefore, this narrative focuses on the Route 88 cable route.

The state owns a 200-300 foot wide right of way along the northbound lane (east side) of Route 88 so it is highly likely the cable would cross the road immediately north of the bridge to follow the 11-mile length of 88 north.

The marshland on the north side of the bridge presents a set of serious environmental issues that must be accounted for before any approval of the Vineyard Northeast cable landing plan is contemplated. These marshlands are home to NHESP-listed vernal pools and extremely sensitive ecosystems essential for the river's health. There is little or no analyses of these significant natural resources in the Vineyard Northeast COP or of the impacts of the ongoing "dewatering" of the trenched and surrounding wetland areas during cable construction, maintenance, repairs, and after heavy rain events.

Cabling up the northbound side of Route 88 will impact a large portion of area wetlands, along with integral tributaries to the Westport River, including Snell Creek, Kirby Brook, Bread and Cheese Brook, Sam Tripp Brook, and Rolling Springs Brook. (Bread and Cheese Brook is habitat for increasing rare sea-run brook trout.) There are many other small streams and wetlands integral to the watershed, which will also be affected.

Other concerns for the cabling up Route 88 would be the topography, soil and rock composition, and visual impacts from clearcutting, as there are significant numbers of residents who live very close to the proposed cabling route. A large swath  of forest clearcutting would be required along John Reid Rd and up the length of Rt. 88. Much of the wooded buffering presently between the state highway and properties along the east side of Drift Road and neighborhoods further north would be removed.

Westport is a small rural community, extremely dependent on its fragile environmental resources for economic viability. No offshore wind company should be allowed to land its cabling in Westport.

At some point along the corridor the cable will connect into a newly-constructed converter substation. The three options for the location of the substation have been redacted from the Vineyard Northeast COP, but will require a minimum of 10 acres.

These substations store over 100,000 gallons of dialectric transformer oil, tens of thousands of gallons of lubricating oils, and over 40,000 pounds of sulfur hexafluoraide (SF6) gas. The transformer oil serves as an insulator, coolant, and suppresses corona discharge but is, itself, highly flamable.  A major spill of any of these oils can have disastrous effects on nearby groundwater, and grave consequences for animals and birds.

The EPA states that that SF6 is the most potent greenhouse gases known, with a global warming potential of 23,500 times that of CO2 (https://www.epa.gov/eps-partnership/sulfur-hexafluoride-sf6-basics).  “SF6 is the most potent greenhouse gas known. It is 23,500 times more effective at trapping infrared radiation than an equivalent amount of CO2 and stays in the atmosphere for 3,200 years.”

The new electric substation will convert the 800MWs of direct current into alternating current for grid distribution at a designated Point of Intersection (POI), likely the Bell Rock National Grid substation just north of Blossom Road in Fall River.