The Vineyard’s representative in Congress is calling on federal offshore wind regulators to establish a new protocol to ensure town and tribal officials are notified when something goes wrong. 

U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, a Bourne Democrat, sent a letter to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement earlier this week after Nantucket select board members felt out of the loop when the Vineyard Wind turbine broke and they weren’t told until two days later — just before broken blade bits washed ashore.

The select board said it should have been told sooner so it could have relayed the safety concerns to residents quicker. 

“Although the incident occurred on Saturday, Nantucket officials were not informed until late Monday,” Mr. Keating wrote in the July 23 letter. “In the event of a future incident within the wind energy lease area, BSEE should immediately inform all state, local, and tribal officials in affected communities regarding the nature of the incident and any potential impacts that might follow.” 

BSEE did not return a request for comment Friday afternoon. 

Here on the Vineyard, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) tribal council chair Cheryl Andrews-Maltais said the tribe also never received a direct report from the government after the blade broke on July 13.

The lack of notice was concerning because the tribe has been worried about offshore wind’s proliferation south of the Island.

“It is concerning that there has been a lack of outreach and consultation with our federally recognized Tribe, especially given our expressed interest in the protection of our ancestral water and the marine life within them,” Ms. Andrews-Maltais wrote in a letter to BSEE on July 18. “Effective communication and collaboration with all stakeholders, including federally recognized Tribes, are essential in addressing and mitigating the impacts of such disastrous incidents.” 

The delay in notifying town governments about the debris was unfair to the people impacted most and Mr. Keating asked for more in the future as offshore wind energy continues to grow in Massachusetts. 

“I am relieved that no one was hurt when the failure occurred, but that doesn’t mean local communities weren’t negatively impacted,” he said in a statement. “Despite this bump in the road, I still firmly believe that the offshore wind industry will be a great benefit to our Commonwealth and nation and the lessons learned here will ultimately help continue to safely grow the wind industry.”