Bucco Says Democrats Can “No Longer Ignore” Whale Deaths

Senator Anthony M. Bucco issued the following statement in response to Assembly Democrats announcing that they will be holding a hearing to discuss marine mammal deaths in New Jersey:

“Senate Republicans have led the charge in questioning the impact of offshore wind development on marine mammals. We have forced a conversation that Governor Murphy and Trenton Democrats can no longer ignore as the number of whale deaths along our coast continue to rise,” said Bucco (R-25). “Prior to the Senate Republican independent hearing, we invited stakeholders from both sides of the issue to have an open and transparent discussion, but I’m questioning whether Democrats will be fair and unbiased in their investigations as well.”

New Jersey Senate Republicans hosted an independent hearing on May 3rd, 2023, to discuss the unprecedented surge of whale deaths along the New Jersey Shore. The panel was chaired by Senator Bucco and featured a list of qualified experts and environmental activists.

“After listening to expert testimony that wind farm projects were rushed, it reaffirmed our call for Governor Murphy to place a temporary moratorium on all offshore wind studies,” Bucco added. “Pushing ahead with these projects blindly could lead to irreversible harm to our oceanic environment. Protecting our environment and preventing further damage to our marine wildlife should not be a partisan issue.”

In a recent interview with the NY Post, Senator Bucco said “there’s too much of a coincidence” that similar whale deaths began in 2016 after Rhode Island’s Block Island Wind Farm was installed. Bucco warned that the damage to marine mammals could be catastrophic once wind turbine construction begins in New Jersey.