D'ESCOUSSE - The push toward offshore wind development as a replacement for fossil fuels has left many with more questions than answers, if a recent public forum in Isle Madame is any indication. 

The Cape Breton Partnership (CBP) and the information-gathering organization Net Zero Atlantic (NZA) co-hosted a series of offshore wind information sessions across Cape Breton Island on December 11. These included two stops in Richmond County, at the D'Escousse Civic Improvement Centre in the afternoon and at the Bonnie Brae Seniors' Club in St. Peter's during the evening. 

Several people in attendance in D'Escousse expressed concern that the infrastructure required to launch offshore wind development off Richmond County could negatively impact local fishing grounds. However, a more inclusive approach was touted by the afternoon's hosts - CBP Green Engagement Energy Coordinator Jennifer MacNeil and NZA project manager Victoria Watson. 

MacNeil and Watson both pledged that no turbines or similar structures would be placed in areas that would compromise the fishing industry. Another member of the audience, Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette, noted that the oil and gas industry has always collaborated with Atlantic fishers to proceed in a safe and responsible manner. The warden suggested that she sees no reason why offshore wind development would not follow the same stringent rules. 

These information sessions came just four days before the Nova Scotia government unveiled its Green Hydrogen Action Plan. The 44-page document contains seven main goals and an additional twenty-three action items that are designed to help the province reach its 2030 goal of ending its use of coal to generate energy.

Speaking to Telile LJI journalist Adam Cooke, Nova Scotia's Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables, Tory Rushton, warned that the entire plan will require time to execute. 

"As we move through this plan and the different goals and targets that are in this plan, we know that we have to build a responsible regulatory regime for the safety of our environment," Rushton pointed out. 

The minister also praised the input from Strait Area businesses, educators and municipal leaders in the Green Hydrogen Action Plan. These included Warden Mombourquette and Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, the co-chairs of the Strait Area Offshore Wind Task Force. He also predicted that the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Strait Area Campus could soon have a key role to play in training tradespeople to participate in green hydrogen and offshore wind development.