Strategizing to protect right whales and offshore wind

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NOAA and BOEM announced a collaborative effort to protect both North Atlantic right whales and offshore wind development. — Courtesy NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently released a draft joint strategy “to protect and promote the recovery of North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy,” according to a press release. The public is invited to comment on the draft strategy by Sunday, Dec. 4. 

The 57-page draft strategy identified areas the agencies will collaborate to “improve upon the necessary science, information, and indigenous knowledge to support the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use.” The draft strategy lists three main goals: mitigation and decision-support tools, research and monitoring, and collaboration, communication, and outreach. The draft strategy also “establishes the agencies’ plans to engage stakeholders, partners and other ocean users on these issues.” 

“As we face the ongoing challenges of climate change, this strategy provides a strong foundation to help us advance renewable energy while also working to protect and recover North Atlantic right whales, and the ecosystem they depend on,” Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries and acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at NOAA, said in the release. “Responsible development of renewable energy sources and protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales are priorities both agencies share.”

The draft strategy will be “regularly evaluated and updated as new information becomes available” following the public comment period. 

“BOEM is deeply committed to ensuring responsible offshore wind energy development while protecting and promoting the recovery of the North Atlantic right whale. Working with NOAA Fisheries on this draft strategy leverages the resources and expertise of both agencies to collect and apply the best available scientific information to inform our decisions,” BOEM director Amanda Lefton said in the release. “We’re seeking open and honest feedback from the public to help us evaluate and improve this effort.”

Draft strategy documents can be found at regulations.gov (docket number BOEM-2022-0066). More information can be found on the BOEM website. Comments can be submitted at bit.ly/3DnRF38.

7 COMMENTS

  1. This is quite a piece yet it can’t hide the lack of scientific studies to determine the threat to the NARW or the effectiveness of the unproven voluntary protection measures during construction or operation of the turbines. Two offshore wind projects are already under construction and six more are rapidly approaching approval over the very same area the critically endangered right whales are increasingly relying on for their survival. Every one of the remaining three hundred and thirty six whales are on a collision course with the wind farm developers.
    Clear minds and good thinkers would never do this.

  2. Shameful how our lust for energy is once again bringing the Right Whale to the brink of extinction. We feel good about ourselves because we aren’t sending whalers out to kill them for their blubber to make whale oil. Instead we allow foreign companies to pile drive turbines the height of the Prudential Building into their habitat, bringing heavy vessel traffic into their waters for construction and then maintenance for years to come. All for a project which admittedly won’t make a dent our carbon emissions. But it’s green, so we feel righteous.

    • One more time. Avangrid Renewables, which is a 50% partner in this project is based in Portland Oregon–The other 50% partner is Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners– based in Copenhagen.
      By your logic, that means it’s an American company.
      Perhaps if republicans had not opposed every single windmill that had been thought about for the last 20 years, the U.S would not be in such disadvantaged position.
      I never once heard republicans complain about the ownership of the Keystone pipeline–
      owned by TC Energy — based in Calgary, Canada and as of 31 March 2020 the Government of Alberta.
      And by the way, true patriots should not be drinking Budweiser, which is headquartered in Belgium.
      Of the 15 breweries that produce Budweiser outside of the U.S, 14 are in China.
      https://fortune.com/company/anheuser-busch-inbev/
      We can disagree about the safety of the whales, but xenophobia has nothing to do with it.

  3. One thing for sure, since the fisheries persons claim they can’t fish within the one mile spacing between the pilings, no whales will be entangled in their fishing gear. it also seems that large vessels will not be able to navigate in these areas.
    The 2 leading causes of death of right whales are entanglement and ship strikes. As Ms. Chalke points out, there will be hundreds if not thousands of square miles of ocean that will effectively be off limits to fishing vessels and large ships.
    I have never heard of a whale of any kind getting killed by a propellor from a windmill.
    I view these wind farms as whale sanctuaries, as while they are in these areas they are protected from the 2 things that are most likely to kill them.

  4. The tree huggers have annoyed the Indians and the right whales cant navigate from the sounds of the turbines. The irony is these turbines wont give you much electricity–only 1 percent decrease in monthly bills but of course the dreaded climate change is mitigated but then overwhelmed again due to India and China. Sleepy Joe wont drill but gets mad at Saudi when they cut production and vows to buy from Venezuela. Nuclear is the answer but groaning about burying wastes which is a myth and is and was never dangerous nor difficult.

    • andy– do you mean the tree huggers have annoyed the native Americans, or the people who live in the country of India? I would opine that the native Americans were the original “tree huggers” as they treated the earth, and all of its creatures with respect.
      I have found no credible studies that indicate whales, either right ones or wrong ones, cannot navigate around wind farms. Could you please post a link for us ?
      I am shocked that you are acknowledging that these turbines will actually reduce our electric bills. Try to tell that to the “alarmists” who have been frantically saying our bills will double because of this.
      And how many times do I have to tell you that India, despite having over 4 times the population of the United States produces about 1/2 the carbon emissions we do.
      On a per capita basis, the average American energy pig emits 8 times the amount of carbon than an Indian citizen does.
      But, I get it, blaming India really gets the right wing dogs to salivate at the sound of that dog whistle.

  5. By biggest concern with these off shore wind farms is the noise pollution in the marine environment.
    it certainly has an effect on marine mammals and fish.

    The loudest sounds are produced while pile driving the monopoles. —up to 228 decibels at a distance of one meter from the pole. However, it seems that while we can measure levels above 194 decibels they can not actually be attained.
    Kinda weird and I don’t quite understand it.
    That is seriously loud, and can cause permanent hearing loss.
    During operation a turbine can produce around 142 decibels.
    To put that in perspective, ferries and cargo ships generate between 170 and 190 decibels.
    Electric ferries of course are considerably quieter.
    Of course these levels are at the source, and quickly decrease over distance.

    But the bigger issue here is why we have these things being built in the first place.
    They are a feeble attempt– too little too late– to address the issue of anthropomorphically induce rapid climate change.
    Continued wanton use and waste of fossil fuels will inevitably change the temperature and PH levels of the oceans. And that will affect everything.

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