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NJ.com article on Smith, Van Drew bill to protect whales'Another whale death leads to new offshore wind legislation by N.J. House Republicans'New Jersey House Republicans responded to the latest whale death off the Jersey Shore by announcing new legislation to address offshore wind projects. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., on Friday proposed a moratorium on existing wind farms and a ban on future ones, while Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., introduced a measure calling for an investigation into how the wind farms gained environmental approval. “We still have no meaningful answers from Governor Murphy or the Biden administration on the broader impact of these projects on the marine environment as they rush to build the largest offshore wind farm in the nation,” Smith said, who earlier called for a moratorium on development.
In addition, Van Drew, a member of the House Transportation Committee, said he would hold a hearing on the issue in South Jersey on March 16, time and place to be determined. “The unknown impacts of these offshore wind projects raises serious concerns,” he said. “These projects will have substantial impacts on the local tourism industry, the fishing industry, and the surrounding environment.”
Preliminary tests show that the most recent whale to wash upon the shore, a 35-foot humpback whale in Manasquan, may have been killed by a vessel, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Nine whales in recent months have washed up on the shore in the region, including six in New Jersey, raising concerns that offshore wind development in the Atlantic Ocean was responsible for the deaths.
NOAA has said no evidence has linked offshore wind survey work to whale deaths and Gov. Phil Murphy has said the development should continue.
BOEM said it required “strict protective measures,” including using trained observers to make sure there are no whales near the vessels and exclusion zones free of marine mammals and sea turtles before using accoustic sound sources,
While some environmental groups have supported continuing development of offshore wind, others, including Clean Ocean Action, has called for a moratorium on all work and an investigation into the causes of the whale deaths.
A draft report issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management last month said the proposed wind farm off the Jersey Shore could significantly affect local fisheries and boat traffic but generally have little impact on tourism and marine life while helping to move away from oil and gas.
Both Murphy and President Joe Biden are looking at offshore wind as a major future source of energy that would help wean the U.S. away from the fossil fuels whose emissions
contribute to climate change. A year ago six companies bid $4.4 billion to develop wind farms acres off the coasts of New Jersey and New York in an area called the New York Bight, more brought in more money than any other energy leases ever, including those for oil and gas. This article ran on page 1 of the Feb. 20, 2023 print edition of the Trenton Times and other NJ.com or Advance Media publications, and can be found at: https://www.nj.com/politics/2023/02/another-whale-death-leads-to-new-offshore-wind-legislation-by-nj-house-republicans.html |