Big thanks to the Westport Shorelines for hosting the critically important conversation regarding Offshore Wind, starting with the July 9 report, "Westport looks to organize as offshore wind project moves ahead.” I commented on this article which apparently prompted Mr. Cole’s Letter to the Editor on July 16, "More alarmist nonsense from the ‘Green Oceans Gang’".

Mr. Cole describes my concerns over trenching high voltage cable as "alarmist nonsense" and "hysteria.” He then broadens his scope to the value of offshore wind as a means of protecting our environment. Mr. Cole could not have predicted at the time he penned his letter that a turbine blade would break, that shards of sharp fiberglass would pollute the southern shoreline of Nantucket, force closure during one of the hottest periods of the summer, and pose boating hazards in the region.  This environmental disaster is only the first; statistically we can expect 15 per year once the projects are completed. In hindsight, would Mr. Cole have called this "alarmist nonsense" or "hysteria" as well?

I am not a member of the "Green Oceans Gang,” as Mr. Cole suggests, but I would be honored to hold that title. Green Oceans is a leader in the charge against offshore wind, not because they are climate deniers but because pffshore wind is actually a threat to the environment. Offshore wind is a threat to whales, fisheries, and now it seems beaches and boating as well. Furthermore, offshore wind turbines are not carbon reducing, as Mr. Cole suggests, they are carbon neutral at best and probably carbon producing when factoring construction, maintenance, intermittency, and decommissioning (check out the FAQ at Green Oceans for evidence-backed details). We can now add hazardous debris clean-up to the list. But let's return to the topic at hand, trenching and tunneling high voltage cable through Westport.

I am a founding member of Protect Our Westport Waters (www.protectwestport.org), a group of very concerned residents who do not want to sacrifice the health and beauty of Westport for a gigantic science experiment that will, no doubt, damage our coastal community the way it is damaging the ledge, islands and ecosystem. This project is beyond business-as-usual for Westport conservation and planning boards. It deserves special attention with balanced representation knowing that residents of Westport deserve full transparency and a voice in their future.

Mr. Cole has revealed his affinity toward offshore wind and, at the same time, revealed his disdain for those who oppose it. He has made it crystal clear that he is the wrong person to manage an unbiased outcome. We demand an impartial advisory committee focused exclusively on offshore wind and its impacts on Westport. Topics for the committee should include:

• Good Neighbor Agreement

• Trenching proposal analysis

• EMF radiation testing and monitoring

• Debris (flotsam) remediation protocols

• Runoff testing for chemicals

• Extended traffic impact planning

• Ongoing beach and reservation access

• Migratory species impact, fish and fowl

• Resident species impact

• Incident reporting and management

David Sprogis

Westport

Sprogis is a member of Protect our Westport Waters.