March 23, 2023 — Billed as a “hearing on offshore wind industrialization along the East Coast,” an event March 16 at the Wildwoods Convention Center included Congress members from two states, environmental organizations and representatives of the commercial fishing industry all speaking out against wind farm projects planned off the coast.
U.S. Rep. Van Drew (R-2nd) called it the launch of a congressional investigation into offshore wind aimed at developing a comprehensive legislative solution for what he characterized as the disruptive effects of offshore wind.
“If offshore wind industrialization moves forward, it will be the most profound transformation of the Atlantic coast in the history of the United States of America,” said Van Drew, who long represented the region as a Democrat in local, county and state offices.
Developers want to build thousands of “Eiffel Tower-sized turbines” that will line the horizon for decades, Van Drew said, adding that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has engaged in a rushed and sloppy approval process.
“The truth is our government is acting more in the interest of the rich and powerful than the interest of the people of America,” he said.
The dentist said neither the federal government nor the wind turbine companies have been responsive to the local community. He said Ørsted, the Danish wind-energy company behind the Ocean Wind 1 project, rejected an invitation to participate in the event.
The wind projects are a case of big government joining with big companies, “colluding together,” Van Drew said.
Ørsted did not interact with local communities or members of the fishing and tourism industries, he said.
Van Drew said Congress must step in because offshore wind companies, the administration of President Joe Biden and that of Gov. Phil Murphy refused to share the facts with the American people.
He said the wind project area is massive and that nearly 2 million acres have been leased in the Atlantic Ocean. He said the projects would require hundreds of miles of seafloor dredging to bury power transmission cables.
Van Drew called the projects a wealth transfer from American taxpayers and rate payers into the pockets of wealthy energy industrialists “who aren’t even in America.”
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) said driving piles into the seabed would generate catastrophic noise levels for sea life during the construction phase. He also said the turbines would fall like dominos during a Category 3 or stronger hurricane.
Radar used by the U.S. Coast Guard would be compromised by the wind turbines, Smith said, adding a 2022 report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine stated the towers would interfere with marine vessel radar.
Smith said he introduced legislation to get the General Accountability Office to produce an overview of how poorly environmental reviews have been conducted for the wind projects.
Attendance was limited to 400 persons due to fire safety rules, which led to chants of “let us in” from the lobby from those who were not admitted to the meeting room.
Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, said her organization is open to the idea of some offshore wind but only if a pilot program proved successful and the science was available to support industrial-scale power plants while protecting the ocean.
She said according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, by 2030, offshore wind coverage would involve 3,400 turbines requiring 10,000 miles of cable.
“This is too much, too fast and, in a word, simply reckless,” Zipf said. “Marine life is being placed at great risk without scientific due diligence, monitoring and protection to ensure the ocean survives this massive industrialization.”