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Whale policy hints at today’s offshore wind impact study
Press of Atlantic City |Jun 24, 2022
The BOEM said it will work with other federal agencies on a plan to help right whales recover while responsibly developing offshore wind energy. That includes monitoring the distribution and movements of the whales and other marine mammals, and installing mitigation measures where needed to reduce the impact on the whales.
The BOEM said it will work with other federal agencies on a plan to help right whales recover while responsibly developing offshore wind energy. That includes monitoring the distribution and movements of the whales and other marine mammals, and installing mitigation measures where needed to reduce the impact on the whales.
Today the federal government will take one of the most anticipated steps in the development of major offshore wind energy projects, making public its first draft of what the effect on the environment will be.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management report will focus on Ocean Wind 1, a joint venture wind energy project of Ørsted North America and PSEG, planned for federal waters about 15 miles off Atlantic City. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the first for a major U.S. offshore wind project, will be published in the Federal Register today and available online. Coverage in The Press will follow.
Supporters, skeptics and foes of the plan for up to 98 wind turbine generators and three offshore substations have been looking …
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Today the federal government will take one of the most anticipated steps in the development of major offshore wind energy projects, making public its first draft of what the effect on the environment will be.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management report will focus on Ocean Wind 1, a joint venture wind energy project of Ørsted North America and PSEG, planned for federal waters about 15 miles off Atlantic City. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the first for a major U.S. offshore wind project, will be published in the Federal Register today and available online. Coverage in The Press will follow.
Supporters, skeptics and foes of the plan for up to 98 wind turbine generators and three offshore substations have been looking forward to the environmental analysis for months.
We think there are hints of what it will contain in the federal policies and approaches described this spring for addressing a big challenge to offshore wind — accommodating the North Atlantic right whale, one of the world’s most endangered large whales.
The BOEM said it will work with other federal agencies on a plan to help right whales recover while responsibly developing offshore wind energy. That includes monitoring the distribution and movements of the whales and other marine mammals, and installing mitigation measures where needed to reduce the impact on the whales.
Danielle Brown, a whale expert at Rutgers University, said not enough is known about the whales and their use of the ocean area intended for wind turbines. “Offshore wind construction is approaching very quickly, but it does seem as if they are asking the right questions, and they are putting as much effort and funding as they can into answering questions,” she told NJ Spotlight.
The total world population of right whales is about 330, and some of them migrate through waters between New Jersey and New York from November to April, Brown said. Since their slow reproductive rate yielded only 13 calves in the latest mating season, conservation groups consider the whales at extremely high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
Ørsted’s efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale include $6 million so far for research, working with Rutgers and other institutions. Data will be gathered by sound-detecting buoys, thermal cameras and an offshore glider.
With the publication today of the draft impact statement, a 45-day comment period will begin, ending Aug. 8. During that time, BOEM will hold three virtual public meetings and accept comments through those. Comments will be used in preparing a final Environmental Impact Statement, and that will inform the bureau’s decision whether to approve the Ørsted project.
Amanda Lefton, director of the ocean energy bureau, said, “BOEM remains committed to an environmental review process that establishes a strong foundation for offshore wind projects in the U.S. while promoting ocean co-use and avoiding or reducing potential conflicts.”
At least 15 other plans to construct and operate commercial, offshore wind energy facilities are expected to be reviewed by BOEM by 2025. They have the potential to provide more than 22 gigawatts of clean energy for the nation, enough to power about 10 million homes.
We expect today’s draft assessment to begin showing how tapping this massive renewable energy resource will proceed.