New Jersey Lawmakers Call for Halt to Offshore Wind Project, Seek Probe of Whale Deaths

Monmouth County, N.J., Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone, called for state and federal investigations into the deaths of marine mammals along the New Jersey coast during an April 5, 2023, press conference at Seven Presidents Park in New Jersey. Courtesy of Monmouth County Government

A growing number of elected county, state, and federal officials in New Jersey are seeking a halt to offshore wind turbine work, along with an independent investigation into why dead whales and dolphins have been washing up on the state’s beaches.

“The whales are the canaries in the coal mine; they’re telling us something we all need to listen to,” U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said during a press conference at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch, New Jersey, on April 5.