In Portland, Maine, recent unfounded allegations have emerged, claiming that the implementation of offshore wind energy projects poses a threat to whale populations. This contentious issue has become a central point of debate in the discourse surrounding renewable energy’s future.
Experts in the field, however, have not found any substantial evidence to support the notion that offshore wind farms are contributing to whale fatalities. Despite the lack of scientific backing, various conservative organizations alongside local anti-development factions have continued to draw connections between the two.
The Associated Press has undertaken an examination to separate myths from realities as it pertains to wind power and its alleged impact on whales, coinciding with the migration season of the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Focusing on the status of offshore wind ventures in the United States, it’s notable that lawsuits from community groups have stalled two major offshore wind projects in New Jersey. Ørsted, the company behind these projects, recently decided to halt their development. According to Ørsted’s Group Executive Vice President and CEO for the Americas, David Hardy, this decision was strictly based on economic factors and not related to any opposition to offshore wind in New Jersey.
As for the direct cause of whale deaths, scientists have found no evidence linking the relatively few wind farm constructions on the Atlantic Coast to such incidents. Speculation about such a connection began to surge after 2016, following an increase in whale strandings on New England shores, a phenomenon that occurred before the commencement of significant offshore wind farm construction this year.
Marine biologist Aaron Rice from Cornell University asserts that the strandings, including those earlier this year in locations such as New Jersey, are not a consequence of offshore wind activities. Furthermore, European countries with over three decades of offshore wind development have also not established any causal relationships between wind farms and whale mortality.
In the United States, research is underway to observe any potential non-lethal impacts of offshore wind farms on whales, such as behavioral changes or migration route alterations. Duke University marine biologist Doug Nowacek is involved in a five-year federally-funded study that includes tracking whales off the coast of Massachusetts.
The actual hazards to whales stem from various human activities, and the precise reasons behind the recent spate of whale strandings along the East Coast remain largely unknown. Environmental advocates, such as Oceana’s Fisheries Campaign Director Gib Brogan, suggest that the opposition to offshore wind power is a diversion from the genuine threats facing whales.
Since 2016, there has been a notable increase in humpback whale mortalities, which the federal government has labeled an “unusual mortality event.” The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is also experiencing such an event, with less than 360 individuals left on the planet. Reports from NOAA indicate that since December 1, 2022, there have been 83 whale deaths off the East Coast, including humpbacks between Massachusetts and North Carolina and two North Atlantic right whales in North Carolina and Virginia.
To mitigate potential risks to whales near wind farms, federal regulations have set limits on human-generated underwater noise, both for continuous sounds and short, sudden bursts. Marine construction projects can minimize impact on marine life by halting work during migration seasons, employing “bubble curtains” to dampen noise during pile-driving, and positioning trained observers on ships to watch for marine mammals.
Offshore wind developers not only adhere to regulatory requirements but also voluntarily implement additional protective measures. Ørsted, for example, refrains from pile driving from December 1 to April 30 to avoid disturbing migrating whales. The company also employs lookout vehicles, surrounds turbine monopiles with bubble curtains, and conducts underwater acoustic monitoring.
Equinor, in partnership with bp, plans to use acoustic monitoring and infrared cameras to detect whales as it begins developing two lease areas off Long Island. The company has promised to restrict pile driving to periods when right whales are least likely to be present.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., is among the vocal opponents of offshore wind. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the foundation’s center for energy, climate, and environment, has criticized Ørsted’s abandoned New Jersey wind project as unsightly and potentially harmful to wildlife. Ørsted’s Hardy, however, has dismissed such claims as politically motivated misinformation.
The Heartland Institute, another conservative policy group, has expressed opposition to offshore wind projects, arguing that they face less stringent regulatory scrutiny than fossil fuel projects. H. Sterling Burnett, director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy at the institute, advocates for equal regulatory standards across all energy projects.
Misinformation regarding the impact of wind farms on whales has been leveraged by opponents to thwart such projects, with notable resistance in New Jersey. This has caused concern within coastal communities where infrastructure for wind farms needs to be built. Republican politicians, taking cues from local opposition, have called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the offshore wind industry’s effects on commercial fishing and marine life, and some are demanding a moratorium on these projects. On the other hand, New Jersey’s Democrat-led Legislature continues to support the offshore wind industry.
In terms of climate change impact, scientists have reported that global warming is causing the right whale’s primary food source, tiny crustaceans, to shift to different areas due to warming waters. Consequently, right whales are venturing away from protected ocean zones in search of food, making them more susceptible to threats such as ship collisions and fishing gear entanglements. Given their role in carbon storage, large whales are also seen as part of the climate change solution.
Unfounded claims have linked offshore wind farms to whale deaths, causing controversy in the debate over renewable energy. Scientists assert there’s no credible evidence supporting these claims. Despite this, certain conservative and anti-development groups continue to make such connections.
In the U.S., lawsuits from community groups have delayed offshore wind projects, such as Ørsted’s projects in New Jersey, which were ultimately canceled due to economic reasons, not opposition.
Since 2016, an increase in whale strandings in New England has been observed, but this trend predates major offshore wind farm construction and has no direct connection to it. In Europe, with over three decades of offshore wind development, no causal links between wind farms and whale deaths have been found.
Scientists in the U.S. are conducting research to monitor any possible non-lethal impacts of offshore wind farms on whales, like changes in behavior or migration patterns.
Whales face various threats from human activities, and the recent strandings mainly remain unexplained. Measures to protect whales near wind farms include federal regulations on underwater noise, construction pauses during migration seasons, and using technology like bubble curtains and trained observers to minimize impact.
Some vocal opponents, including groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Heartland Institute, continue to allege that wind farms are harmful to whales, which the industry refutes as politically-driven misinformation. This has led to calls for investigations and moratoriums on offshore wind projects by some politicians.
Misinformation has created resistance in coastal communities, affecting the development of necessary infrastructure for wind farms. Meanwhile, climate change has impacted the right whale’s food sources, causing them to venture away from protected areas, increasing the risk of ship strikes and entanglements. Whales are crucial for the ecosystem and play a role in combating climate change by storing carbon.
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