NH’s Republican governor has been friendly to offshore wind. What about his potential replacements?

Zachary Jylkka, a renewable energy program specialist at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, gives a presentation in Portsmouth on May 29, 2024. (Claire Sullivan | New Hampshire Bulletin)

This article was corrected on Aug. 26 at 8:49 a.m. to use the correct units on the amount of energy the offshore wind projects are projected to generate.

This is the third and final story in a series examining how the top gubernatorial candidates, determined by polling data, would lead on energy and the environment. Read part one here and two here .

Outside the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth in late May, a peaceful evening dotted with sparse clouds concealed the upheaval inside.

Dozens of residents packed into a wood-paneled room lined with posters and rows of chairs to hear officials from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management explain the federal government’s proposal for offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine.

Many attendees, especially those tied to the fishing industry, were highly skeptical. They voiced fears that the project would threaten their livelihoods and the marine environment of which they see themselves as stewards.

Those concerns drive opposition to the proposal from Kelly Ayotte and Chuck Morse, the Republicans running to replace Gov. Chris Sununu. Meanwhile, Democratic candidates Joyce Craig and Cinde Warmington embrace the vast energy potential offered by the ocean winds.

The BOEM officials had billed that May night as an “open house,” where much of the time would be spent with people rotating around the room to have one-on-one conversations with experts stationed around informational posters.

But the restless crowd wanted to get straight to business, to hear the plan and get the chance to tell officials exactly how they felt about it. They didn’t mince words. At the end of the hourslong public meeting, full of groans and frustration, many appeared unmoved in their opposition to the proposal. A question rang around the room: How can we stop this?

Though fishermen have been vocal opponents to offshore wind, the proposed energy auction in eight lease areas near Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire could generate up to 15 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy and power more than 5 million homes, according to BOEM’s April announcement of the proposal. Federal officials said, too, they chose areas in the ocean that minimize harm to the environment and stakeholders like the fishing industry.

Clean energy advocates have urged the state to take advantage of the opportunity, and Sununu has helped push along the prospect of offshore wind development.

“I’ve been a champion of offshore wind,” Sununu said in a 2022 gubernatorial debate . “I’m the guy that actually – not the Hassan administration, it was the Sununu administration that actually started the entire process with the federal government to look at the opportunities of offshore wind.”

At the start of 2019, Sununu asked BOEM to establish an intergovernmental task force on offshore wind in the federal waters off of New Hampshire. BOEM created a regional task force in the Gulf of Maine that included New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and federally recognized tribes.

At the end of 2019, Sununu signed an executive order preparing the state for offshore wind development, saying in a statement, “it’s imperative that we go through this process the right way from day one to maximize all the potential benefits of this new industry.”

“New Hampshire recognizes the tremendous potential that offshore wind power has to offer,” Sununu said. “With today’s executive order, New Hampshire will ensure that this is an open and transparent process involving diverse stakeholders to balance existing offshore uses with a new source of clean energy. This will require enhanced coordination between state agencies, new studies, and continuous engagement with the public.”

Sununu established four advisory committees to help inform the state’s representatives on the BOEM task force. He also ordered state officials to study the greenhouse gas emission reductions that could come from offshore wind and the port and coastal infrastructure of the state.

But the Republicans vying to replace Sununu, who isn’t seeking a fifth term, don’t share his interest in offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, pointing to the concerns from fishermen. Democrats, on the other hand, see it as a massive renewable energy opportunity for the state.

States have authority over waters no more than three nautical miles off their coasts. From there, the federal government has power, which is why BOEM, part of the federal Department of Interior, is leading the proposal.

In the Sept. 10 primary, voters will choose a candidate from each party to advance to the Nov. 5 general election. Here’s what those prospective leaders think of offshore wind.

What candidates say

The Republican candidates for governor are deeply skeptical of the offshore wind projects being proposed in the Gulf of Maine, citing cost and the outcry from fishermen.

Chuck Morse, a Republican who formerly served as president of the state Senate, is adamantly against offshore wind development, saying he has been involved with the projects with fishermen on the Seacoast.

“In that particular case, I can’t support building wind energy off the coast,” he said. “I think, number one, the cost is going to be astronomical for the people in New Hampshire. And, number two, I don’t think it’s been well thought out on what it’s going to do to the environment off of our coast.”

Kelly Ayotte, the Republican former U.S. senator and state attorney general, said she is open to wind generally but doesn’t think what’s being proposed in the Gulf of Maine is right for the state.

“Those proposals that are right now being considered don’t make sense to me,” she said.

She has concerns with the cost and said “the return on investment” isn’t there. She also pointed to the concerns of fishermen.

“They make their livelihood, certainly, fishing in that area,” she said. “And they’re very concerned that it’s going to really interrupt the natural habitat of the fish and will interfere with their livelihood, which is certainly important in terms of just even thinking about the tradition and history of fishing on the Seacoast of New Hampshire.”

Democrats, on the other hand, embrace the opportunity for clean energy but say they will balance that with concerns of the fishermen.

Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat on the state’s five-person Executive Council, welcomes the development and said the state needs to get more involved in it.

“New Hampshire needs to be at the table actively engaged in that conversation,” she said. “There is a great deal of opportunity laying ahead for our state in terms of reduced energy costs but also jobs and opportunities in our state that we need to make sure we are welcoming here in our state. Other states are competing with us, and we don’t need to be left behind.”

She said all stakeholders need to be heard on the topic but stressed the magnitude of this energy opportunity.

“We need to listen to everyone who’s involved — at all times, right? No matter what the topic is; we need to make sure we get asked all the stakeholders at the table,” she said. “But we do see that we have one of the greatest sources of wind energy, maybe in the world, right off of our coast, and we should be taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Joyce Craig, the former Manchester mayor, said the state needs to take a more active role in the development.

“We have to take a proactive role in offshore wind development. … In the Gulf of Maine, it’s the region’s largest source of new power generation. And right now, New Hampshire is not at the table, and so it’s really important that New Hampshire be there,” she said. “And that’s what I would be supportive of. We need to be looking at different options, again, to save residents money, and to be at the table for these renewable energy sources.”

She said fishermen “have to be at the table” in those conversations, pointing to her time as mayor working with businesses.

“I would absolutely work with this community to make sure we’re not impacting their business,” she said. “At the same time, we need to look into and have a seat at the table on what’s going on with offshore wind.”

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