The EnerGeo Alliance has actually sent out a letter to New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy as well as Assemblyman Christopher Tully, Chairman of the state’s Committee on Science, Innovation as well as Technology before the Assembly’s hearing on aquatic creature fatalities set up for Thursday May 18, 2023.
There have actually gone to the very least 11 whales that have actually depleted dead along New Jersey’s shoreline because December 5, triggering issue that they belong to overseas wind growth in the area.
The Alliance states it intends to deal with false impressions that offshore wind geoscience studies have actually added to aquatic creature fatalities on New Jersey’s coast as well as theAtlantic Coast The letter declares there is no web link in between seismic as well as various other geoscience studies for overseas wind jobs as well as current aquatic creature fatalities as well as consists of historic proof revealing that geoscience studies have actually been carried out thoroughly for over 6 years all over the world with no straight injury to aquatic creature populaces.
The adhering to declarations originated from the letter created by EnerGeo Alliance President Nikki Martin:
“The marine mammal deaths in New Jersey are a tragedy, but we will have failed ourselves and the Atlantic’s marine mammals if we do not study what has happened thoroughly and impartially. EnerGeo stands ready to work together and provide its expertise to support any efforts that prioritize facts, science, and the best available data to determine what happened, why, and how, so we can better protect marine mammal populations.”
“It is important here to note that the independent federal body charged with protecting the animals, the Marine Mammal Commission, recently stated that, ‘Despite several reports in the media, there is no evidence to link these strandings to offshore wind energy development.’ It further described the deaths as, ‘not new, nor are they unique to the U.S. Atlantic coast.’ For example, over 180 humpback whales have stranded along the East Coast since 2016, with 10 or more humpback whales beached each year since then, peaking at 34 in 2017. Offshore wind surveys weren’t operating during almost all of that period. Those whales which underwent post-mortems were killed by vessel strikes or fishing gear entanglement, or the cause could not be determined. The Atlantic waters near where the whales washed ashore have some of the nation’s heaviest ship traffic, heading in and out of the ports of New York and New Jersey and Newark.
“Further, significant funding has gone into research regarding marine mammal interaction with sound, including that from seismic surveys. The BOEM has spent more than $50 million on protected species and noise‐related research without finding evidence of adverse effects. The geoscience and petroleum & natural gas industries, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Navy, and others have spent a comparable amount on researching potential impacts of seismic surveys on marine life and have found no evidence of adverse effects…As New Jersey and the nation look to develop alternative energies offshore in response to carbon reduction policy goals, geoscience activities are integral to achieving those goals.”
