Groups suing to stop Virginia Beach offshore wind project file appeal

Three conservative groups who filed a lawsuit challenging federal approvals of a wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach filed an appeal hoping to overturn the denial of a preliminary injunction to stop construction of the project. 

The Heartland Institute, the Committee for Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and the National Legal and Policy Center, filed a lawsuit in March against the Department of the Interior, arguing that the federal agencies permitting Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project had not done an analysis of the cumulative impact of all the offshore wind projects being developed along the East Coasts.

These developments, the lawsuit claims, are along the migratory routes of the endangered North Atlantic Right whales, and this will harm the animals.

The plaintiffs sought a preliminary junction to stop construction of the project, but U.S. District Judge Loren Alikhan denied the request last month. 

Jeremy Slayton, spokesperson for Dominion Energy, told Just the News that the “overwhelming consensus of federal agencies and scientific organizations” is that offshore wind doesn’t adversely affect marine life. The company, he said, has put in place strong protections for the project.