Newport forum on wind turbines turns chaotic amid turbine collapse

A forum in Newport, Rhode Island, discussing offshore wind turbines turned contentious last week when a man intervened after concerns were raised about a recent turbine collapse that left debris in the ocean.

A video shared by the Newport Police Department on Facebook shows a woman presenting a fibreglass shard, which she claimed washed ashore from the damaged turbine. During her presentation, a man approached, grabbed her bag, and threw it on the ground before returning to his seat.

Audience members reacted, expressing disbelief and calling for democratic respect. The man then approached the woman again, attempting to hand her an index card. When she declined, he inserted the card between her glasses and her face, prompting someone in the crowd to comment on his disrespect.

August 15th, Newport Energy and Environment Commission, City Hall
Offshore wind panel discussion goes off the rails.

A member of Green Oceans was bullied and physically confronted as she attempted to inform the audience about the offshore wind blade debris that had washed up on… pic.twitter.com/99PmAokble

— Green Oceans (@GreenOceansRI) August 20, 2024

In another video segment, the man grabbed a microphone from a woman attempting to speak at the podium, unplugged it, and placed it behind the panel of speakers.

The Newport Energy and Environment Commission’s footage listed the panelists as state Sen. Dawn Euer, Brown University professor Stephen Porder, and Save The Bay Executive Director Topher Hamblett. At the end of the clip, one panelist remarked on the disruption to the Newport Forum caused by the outburst.

The man’s identity

The video was removed from the police department’s Facebook page on Wednesday. Police confirmed the man’s identity but reported no arrests, citing an ongoing investigation and no further information on potential charges.

Local blog Newport Buzz revealed on X that the man featured prominently on U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s campaign website, prompting changes to the site. The current photo shows Whitehouse shaking hands with a woman, replacing an image of him bumping fists with a woman in a hard hat, with the man from the meeting in the background.

BREAKING via @NewportBuzz : Is this man on Sheldon’s website the OFF SHORE WIND FORUM ASSAULTER? @SenWhitehouse @SheldonforRI @LegInsurrection https://t.co/11KmN38gbP pic.twitter.com/VT23lOpe6M

— Jody Baldwin Stone (@TheStonesEG) August 21, 2024

Fox News Digital reached out to Whitehouse’s office for clarification on the image swap and the man’s connection to the senator but received no immediate response.

Last month, large pieces of a damaged wind turbine blade from Vineyard Wind washed up on Nantucket’s south shore beaches. Vineyard Wind confirmed the damage and initiated a cleanup effort as debris continued to appear.

The Nantucket Harbormaster closed all south shore beaches due to the debris, though walking was allowed with caution.

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, built wind farms off Massachusetts’ coast. The company benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a key policy of the Biden-Harris administration.

In October, Vineyard Wind announced a $1.2 billion tax equity package for offshore wind with three U.S. banks, marking it as the largest single asset tax equity financing for a commercial-scale offshore wind project.

Vineyard Wind 1 began construction in late 2021 and completed the U.S.’s first offshore substation in July 2023. This 800 MW project is located 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard and is the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the country.