Two New Jersey state lawmakers want work on offshore wind projects to stop until it can be determined why marine mammals are showing up dead on their state’s beaches.
“We’re not going to fix blame on any one activity. But clearly, something is out of the norm,” New Jersey State Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger told The Epoch Times.
Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Vicki Flynn have introduced Assembly Resolution 181 urging “the Department of Environmental Protection and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management with the U.S. Department of the Interior to impose an immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping off the coast of New Jersey, due to the recent unexplained deaths of whales and dolphins off the coast of New Jersey.”
Like her counterpart, Flynn said this isn’t meant to attack offshore wind. She said she has a responsibility to protect the state and its resources. Flynn said they had not been given a clear explanation of the long-term impact of wind turbines on the ocean.
Flynn pointed out that many New Jersey citizens, including commercial fishermen, the tourism industry, the military, and others, depend on the ocean for their livelihood.
“I’ve seen projects come to a screeching halt for a lot less,” Flynn told The Epoch Times.
Like Scharfenberger, Flynn said it is undeniable that something odd is happening. Scharfenberger noted that, in his experience, the state had averaged seven or eight whale strandings each year.
Since last December 2022, 29 whales have died on the east coast.
According to the politicians, 12 were found on New Jersey beaches, including eight humpback whales. And 14 dead dolphins have washed ashore in New Jersey in the past month, including eight on March 21.
‘Do Our Due Diligence’
Scharfenberger agreed. He stressed that the idea is to gather information before it’s too late to repair any damage.“We want to do our due diligence,” he said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program coordinator Sarah Wilkin, there has been an “unusual ongoing mortality event since 2016 that is specific to the humpback whales,” and there has been a similar increase in deaths of endangered North Atlantic right whales. Researchers are unsure of the cause of the spike in mortalities.
NOAA representatives have repeatedly said there is “no evidence” that wind turbine projects have any impact on the whales. Flynn said that’s not good enough. She said these projects would make long-term, even permanent, changes to the waters off New Jersey. So, the people of her state should know what those changes will be.
Flynn said the projects were started with practically no public input. They have been sold as the answer to renewable energy prayers. But Flynn said she had yet to see concrete proof they can deliver on their promises. She is concerned that before long, it will be too late to stop any potential damage.
“That was all done by design, and now we’re trying to put that genie back in the bottle,” Flynn said. “I’m still unclear how any of this is helping New Jersey.”
