Fishing groups seek Atlantic wind farm delay

MINEOLA, N.Y. – Commercial fishing companies, trade groups and three fishing-based municipalities are seeking to delay a proposed wind energy project in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the motion ahead of its filing Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C.

It seeks to delay next week’s planned federal lease sale of a 79,000-acre site. They argue that a wind farm south of New York’s Jones Beach would severely affect scallop, squid and other fishing industries.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has previously said it removed about 1,780 acres from the initial proposal because of environmental concerns. The motion referred to that as a “diminutive change.”

The groups say they’re not opposed to wind farms. But they argue that site alternatives, environmental and safety issues weren’t fully considered.