Nantucket speakers press Select Board on Vineyard Wind notification, blade break risks and ADLS testing

Select Board members heard a string of public comments on March 5 urging more town action and clearer notification after a lightning strike and blade failure at Vineyard Wind 1 that occurred Feb. 28 and was reported to the town on March 2. The chair read two communications into the record: a Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) notice that BSEE is requiring a comprehensive assessment of the affected turbine, and a Vineyard Wind update from Richard Smith reporting successful testing of the project’s aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS) and plans for follow-up helicopter confirmation flights.

The meeting’s public-comment speakers said the town was informed too slowly and pressed the board to demand clearer incident notification, stronger financial protections and more direct public engagement from Vineyard Wind. Mary Chalk said the town was not notified until social media and…