Biden Admin To Green Light Another Massive Offshore Wind Farm Amid Industry Troubles, Mounting Whale Deaths
Waters Off Block Island Host America's First Offshore Wind Farm
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NICK POPE
CONTRIBUTOR
August 22, 2023
11:28 AM ET
The Biden administration is expected to officially approve a massive new offshore wind farm development off of the Rhode Island coast on Tuesday, despite reported economic troubles for other developers and mounting suspicion that East Coast offshore wind developments may be responsible for a surge in whale deaths, The Washington Post reported.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is set to approve the project, which will feature 65 turbines and be 15 nautical miles off the coast of Point Judith, Rhode Island, to become the fourth commercial wind development approved by the Biden administration off of the East Coast, according to the Post. Although government agencies have not identified any causal link between offshore wind construction and harm to whales, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared “unusual mortality events” for humpback whales and North Atlantic right whales since 2016 and 2017, respectively, a timeline which generally coincides with the beginning of offshore wind development off of the East Coast, according to NOAA’s website.
At least 200 whales have washed up dead on East Coast shores since 2016, with at least 29 humpback strandings on the East Coast so far in 2023, alone, according to Forbes. The planned project reportedly reduced its size and scope to satisfy concerns from residents of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, that a larger proposal may have obstructed views, the Post reported. (RELATED: Blue State Mulls Massive Offshore Wind Project Despite Industry Uncertainty, East Coast Whale Deaths)
https://dailycaller.com/2023/08/22/biden-rhode-island-offshore-wind-industry-whale-deaths/
