Note: This letter was sent to members of the Westport Select Board, and other officials in Westport, by the newly-formed Protect Our Westport Waters (POWW) group:

"Openness and transparency" are especially important when controversial infrastructure projects are being considered. This is certainly the case with the massive offshore wind industrialization of 1,400 square miles of the Rhode Island Sound, and with Vineyard Northeast's plan to land its high-voltage (800MW) cabling on Horseneck Beach, trenching the cables under the Westport River and through the entire length of Westport.

 The goal of this letter is straightforward: to oppose execution of a "Good Neighbor Agreement," "Host Community Agreement" or the like without full public engagement.  We insist on adherence to Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§18-25. 

 Due to anticipated public opposition, the strategy of wind companies has been to meet with town officials behind closed doors to fashion “Good Neighbor Agreements” and “Host Community Agreements.”  

 These agreements submit the town to invasive infrastructure such as high-voltage electrical substations and cabling.  Once a town signs such an agreement it forfeits all recourse for future legal action against the wind company and binds the town to make only positive statements about the company.  In exchange for such an agreement, wind companies typically offer to fund town projects and interests.  

 As expected, we are seeing regret among the communities where these agreements were signed.

 The strife and legal action born out of such privately negotiated agreements is evident all around us — namely, in Nantucket and Barnstable (both with Vineyard Wind) and in Portsmouth, RI (with SouthCoast Wind). Our group, Protect Our Westport Waters (POWW), does not want to see that happen in Westport. 

 Thanks to the mistakes of our neighboring communities, our group is growing quickly in active opposition to any offshore wind cabling and infrastructure being routed through Westport. We are unwilling to trade the health and welfare of our environment and ecosystem for any town projects or interests.  

 We ask, therefore, to be notified directly of any meetings, including Select Board executive sessions, during which the topic of offshore wind infrastructure is to be discussed. Please direct all relevant notifications to admin@protectwestport.org. Failure to make any relevant meetings completely public and transparent is a violation of Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§18-25.

We appreciate your public service and your diligent compliance with our request. 

Protect Our Westport Waters (POWW)

Westport

Signees include Constance Gee, David Sprogis, Bruce Bennett, Jake McGuigan, Jeanne and Michael S. Wyand, Brad Sprogis, Brian Pontolilo, Heidi Correia, Kevin Rioux, Dean Lenling, Janice Dey, Cynthia Raposa, Peter Leuvelink, Kevin Paiva, Pam and Mark Turick