A spate of dead whales washing ashore in the Northeast is stirring a political debate that could have implications for the country’s offshore wind targets. While federal scientists say there is no evidence the region’s wind development and whale deaths are linked, the co-occurence of the two is threatening New Jersey’s ambitious offshore wind agenda, writes POLITICO reporter Ry Rivard. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy set a statewide target of generating 11 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2040, which is a key component of President Joe Biden’s larger plan of producing 30 GW by decade’s end — enough to power 10 million homes. Generating that much wind power will require developers to install hundreds of giant turbines miles off the coast. But the beached whales are giving some lawmakers pause, while creating unexpected alliances. For example, the environmental group Clean Ocean Action, which has long been wary of wind infrastructure’s impact on the ocean, has found an ally in conservative media figure Tucker Carlson and six Republican lawmakers in New Jersey. Carlson is running a series of segments called “The Biden Whale Extinction.” In mid-January, he also called wind energy “the DDT of our time.” And at least one moderate Democrat — New Jersey state Sen. Vin Gopal — has expressed hesitation, saying he’s “very concerned” about any ties between wind and the whales. Clean Ocean Action is pushing for officials to first conduct a pilot project for offshore wind, and to focus on what it calls the “fastest, cleanest, safest” ways to reduce carbon emissions: energy reduction and conservation. But wind supporters point to the lack of evidence for a link to the deaths. They argue that there’s no reason to stop the development of carbon-free energy, which could ease the threat whales face from climate change. Cause of death: Unknown
Federal regulators and scientists from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have determined that there is no evidence that wind development activities — such as sonic mapping of the ocean floor and increased ship traffic — will exacerbate or compound whale deaths. Both loud sounds and ship strikes are known threats to whales. But wind development isn’t the only disruptive activity in ocean waters. Last year, nearly 3,000 ships passed through the Port of New York and New Jersey — far more than the number of vessels associated with offshore wind. Federal scientists say the number of humpback whales in the region chasing prey close to the shoreline is proliferating — potentially leading to more whales being struck by ships or entangled in fishing gear. Still, whales are dying on beaches at an unprecedented rate at the same time as an unmatched amount of offshore wind work is underway. For Clean Ocean Action Executive Director Cindy Zipf, that is worthy of a deeper investigation. “It doesn’t seem to me that they have conducted very much review of anything, which is what we’re calling for,” Zipf told Ry.
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