Why Republicans suddenly hate offshore wind
In the weeks before their massive energy package reached the House floor, some Republicans were aghast about marine mammal deaths — and blamed the burgeoning offshore wind industry.
They said the rush to build out offshore wind in the Atlantic has been killing whales at a rapid clip and they tried to use the legislation to address their concerns.
“Like the canary in the coal mine, the recent spate of tragic whale deaths shed new light and increased scrutiny to the fast-tracking of thousands of wind turbines off our coast,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) declared at a packed field hearing in New Jersey earlier this month.
The concern among Republicans was great enough that it cast some doubt on whether the energy package, H.R. 1, the “Lower Energy Costs Act,” would have enough votes to pass. In the end, concerned lawmakers got whale- and wind-focused provisions added.
Despite that resolution, the issue shows no sign of dying down. Former President Donald Trump famously railed against wind turbines. And conservative media and commentators like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who has been running a series titled “The Biden Whale Extinction,” have continued elevating the issue on the right.
Since December, 30 whales have been found dead along the Atlantic coast, many of them in New Jersey. Eight dolphins were found dead in New Jersey this week.
Though NOAA Fisheries says there is no evidence that preparations to build offshore wind facilities were the cause of the deaths, and blamed many deaths on vessel strikes, that hasn’t stopped Republicans from beating the drum on the issue.
Democrats are dismissing the outrage as a blatant attempt to give fossil fuel interests an advantage. They say the sudden concern amounts to misinformation backed by oil money and the Koch network.
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Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), a senior member on the House Natural Resources Committee, argued that for the last decade Democrats have authored bills to protect marine mammals, particularly the right whale — with little Republican support.
“But this interest in whales just suddenly springs up when offshore wind is starting to take off and threaten fossil fuels,” he said.
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By: Kelsey Brugger & Nico Portuondo
Source: E&E News
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