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Outside/In

Windfall, Part 3: Squid Pro Quo

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.71.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The promise of the nascent American offshore wind industry meets an unlikely foe: squid fishermen in Rhode Island. Forces collide — like the enduring symbol of the American blue-collar worker, the big money of global energy interests, and the volatility of American politics. We ask: what is the nature of power? Windfall is the story of a promising renewable technology and the potential of wind power in a changing climate. It’s a story about who has the power to reshape our energy future. Featuring: Joe McNamara, Norbert Stamps, Josiah Dodge, Kevin Sullivan, Jason Jarvis, Meghan Lapp, Lars Pederson, Nicola Groom, Ben Storrow, Kevin Stokesbury, David Monti, David Bernhardt, and Gina Raimondo. Part 3 of 5. SUPPORT Windfall is made possible with member-support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.  Subscribe to our newsletter. LINKS A note about our reporting process CREDITS Co-hosts: Sam Evans-Brown and Annie Ropeik Reported by Sam Evans Brown Written by Sam Evans-Brown, Jack Rodolico, and Annie Ropeik Senior Producer: Jack Rodolico Executive Producer: Erika Janik Mixing: Justine Paradis  Fact-checking: Sara Sneath Editors: Erika Janik, Annie Ropeik, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Hannah McCarthy Special thanks to Miriam Wasser of WBUR and Craig Lemoult for audio of Lars Pederson and David Bernhardt in this episode. Thanks also to Christa Bank, Jean Flemma, Andrew Gill, David Bidwell, Henrik Lund, John Mitchell, Callie Tansill-Suddath, and the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies. Music: Ben Cosgrove, Blue Dot Sessions, and Breakmaster Cylinder Windfall Graphic Design: Sara Plourde Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Outside in is committed to journalistic rigor and transparency.

0:04.2

To learn about the reporting process for this series, visit windfallpodcast.org.

0:10.1

Heads up, there is one curse word in this episode.

0:13.5

Okay, on with the show.

0:22.7

The US offshore wind industry is ready to launch.

0:25.8

Right now, there are no grid-scale wind farms in American waters.

0:30.0

But there are dozens of projects in line on the Atlantic coast,

0:33.3

all waiting for federal approval.

0:35.6

Altogether, these projects would do a lot to meet America's climate goals,

0:39.6

enough potential energy to power two New York cities.

0:46.9

Today, we're going to talk about the project at the front of the line,

0:50.3

and about how it powered through the forces that opposed it.

0:54.2

But first.

0:56.0

So I don't want to take too much your time, and like I said, I've got to...

0:58.4

We hope you'll allow us a small diversion into Joe McNamara's unlikely 15 seconds of fame.

1:04.6

My name is Joe McNamara, a state representative representing

1:09.5

Warwick and Cranston, the Patuxet village area.

1:13.3

I am also chairman of the Rhode Island Democratic Party.

1:17.2

So, in that role, you got the honor of announcing the delegates for Joe Biden.

1:25.6

That is correct.

1:26.9

Joe McNamara was one of the parade of state party chairpeople who appeared on Zoom last August

1:32.8

to announce that then candidate Biden had won the Democratic nomination for president.

...

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