A national coalition of fishing organizations and fishermen is asking a federal appeals court to review the federal government’s approval of Vineyard Wind 1, the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project.

In a brief petition filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Responsible Ocean Development Alliance (RODA) claims the decision by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, violated a half dozen environmental laws.

After years of effort, Vineyard Wind 1 won final approval in July to begin constructing a 62-turbine wind farm about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The initial project is expected to generate 800 megawatts of electricity annually, with additional wind farms to follow.

In late August, a group of Nantucket residents sued BOEM in U.S. District Court, claiming the decision did not adequately consider the negative effects on the North Atlantic right whale and other marine life.

In a news release announcing its legal action, RODA called the federal decision to approve Vineyard Wind “hasty” and said the commercial fishing industry had repeatedly communicated its grave concerns about navigation safety and the cumulative effects of wind farm development on fish and ocean ecosystems.

“This action is the culmination of many years of conscientious participation by fisheries professionals only to see their expertise and value summarily ignored by decision makers during the leasing process,” the news release said in part.

In addition to asking the court to review the approval of the wind project, RODA also seeks review of various other supporting documents including a May 10 record of decision and a March final environmental impact statement.

Based in New Bedford, Vineyard Wind is 50 per cent owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and 50 per cent by Avangrid Renewables.