Offshore Wind Farm Appeals

The leading historic preservation organizations on Block Island and in Newport, Rhode Island filed four appeals of federal permits granted to developer Orsted on November 22, 2023. Track ongoing developments on this page. 

Appeals, Press Releases, and Other Information Provided by Block Island and Newport Preservation Organizations:

• Appeal by the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation on Block Island regarding the South Fork Wind Farm
• Appeal by the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation on Block Island regarding the Revolution Wind Farm
• Appeal by the Preservation Society of Newport County regarding the South Fork Wind Farm
• Appeal by the Preservation Society of Newport County regarding the Revolution Wind Farm
• Press release from the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation on Block Island (November 22, 2023)
• Press release from the Preservation Society of Newport County (November 22, 2023)
• Answers to frequently asked questions provided by the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation on Block Island
• Answers to frequently asked questions provided by the Preservation Society of  Newport County
• Op-ed from Trudy Cox, CEO & Executive Director of the Preservation Society of Newport County, as featured in The Boston Globe (January 19, 2024) (PDF version)

For More Information:
Please contact Claire O’Brien, Preservation Practice Manager at Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC: claire@culturalheritagepartners.com or (443) 584-5541.

Press Coverage on the Block Island and Newport Appeals (from most to least recent):

• Rhode Island Monthly, “The Power Struggle Behind Rhode Island’s Offshore Wind Farms,” by Ellen Liberman (April 17, 2024)
• CT News Junkie, “Revolution Wind Facing Legal Turbulence,” by Brian Scott-Smith (April 10, 2024)
• ecoRI News, “Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Mitigation Can Ease Offshore Wind Opponents’ Pain,” by Mary Lhowe (January 25, 2024)
• Newport This Week, “Preservation Society Appeals Wind Farm Approval,” by Zane Wolfgang (December 7, 2023)
• The Newport Buzz, “The Bartholomewtown Podcast: Newport Preservation Society Discusses Their Concerns About Offshore Wind Project,” by Christian Winthrop (December 1, 2023)
• NBC 10 News, “Newport Historical Group takes on offshore wind in federal lawsuit,” by Tamara Sacharczyk (December 1, 2023)
• WPRI.com, “Newport Preservation Society sues feds over approved offshore wind farms,” by Adriana Rozas Rivera (December 1, 2023)
• Boston Globe, “Newport, Block Island preservation groups seek relief from wind farms’ anticipated ‘adverse effects,’” by Carlos R. Munoz (November 30, 2023) (PDF version)
• The Newport Buzz, “Preservation Society of Newport County Provides Further Insights Regarding Appeal of Wind Farms Off the RI Coast,” by Christian Winthrop (November 30, 2023)
• Rhode Island Current, “Protecting Newport’s Gilded Age mansions takes a new turn: Suing the feds.,” by Nancy Lavin (November 29, 2023)
• The Day, “Opinion: Lawsuits drop over wind industry’s ‘industrialization’ of ocean views,” by David Collins (November 29, 2023) (PDF version)
• Forbes, “Newport Mansion Owner Sues Federal Government Over Wind Farm It Says Will Block Ocean Views,” by Mary Witfill Roeloffs (November 28, 2023)
• The Providence Journal, “Will offshore wind turbines spoil ocean views from Newport mansions? Lawsuits say yes,” by Alex Kuffner (November 28, 2023)
• Vineyard Gazette, “Rhode Island Preservationists File Offshore Wind Lawsuit,” by Ethan Genter (November 27, 2023)
• WSHU, “RI organizations file lawsuits against CT offshore wind projects,” by Brian Scott-Smith (November 27, 2023)
• WJAR, “Preservation Society Files Appeals Against Federal Agency Approving Offshore Wind Project,” by NBC 10 News (November 23, 2023)
• GoLocalProv, “One of RI’s Top Environmentalists Is Suing to Block Offshore Wind Project,” (November 23, 2023)
• RI News Today, “Block Island and Newport preservationists fight to protect Rhode Island from massive wind farms” (November 23, 2023)
• Newport Buzz, “Preservation Society Files Lawsuit to Fight Massive Wind Farms and Preserve Historic and Pristine Views from Industrial-Scale Development,” by Christian Winthrop (November 22, 2023)