Offshore wind and whales was a common concern for Republican Senator Testa this week. At the Senate Budget Hearing on Tuesday, Testa felt it is hypocritical that groups like Greenpeace and Sierra Club aren’t visiting Jersey shore beaches where these marine mammals are washing up. Testa also stated at a NJ State Republican hearing on whales and offshore wind that, “the hypocrisy of Democrat leaders and organizations like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club who believe in green energy at any cost and are willing to turn a blind eye is shocking. If similar numbers of whales were dying due to exploration for offshore drilling, they would be surrounding whale carcasses, holding hands, tears streaming down their face, singing Kumbaya.”

Additionally at the Budget Hearing, Testa compared offshore wind with the tobacco industry and stated that our history is replete with junk science that was either deliberately manipulated or perhaps unintentionally biased by government officials or corporations who had already determined what they wanted the outcome to be.

NJDEP Commissioner Shawn Latourette responded to Testa’s question of whether or not offshore wind is causing adverse effects to marine wildlife. He stated there is no legitimate evidence whatsoever that offshore wind related work has led to the unusual mortality event afflicting whales. The science is established and available but in some spheres not being paid attention to. He said the type of survey activity being pursued by OSW developers is not associated with harm to mammals. He stated it’s important to pay close attention to the absence of legitimate evidence, which is different from absence of scientific data. Latourette stated, If we really want to save the whales and find out what is causing these issues, to put it simply is climate change.

Senator Zwicker added that humpback whales are not particularly sensitive to the sonar and the frequencies that are being used by these survey vessels, they travel quite slowly. The last time a humpback whale washed up in NJ was 60 days ago, and offshore exploratory steps have remained ongoing, and offshore exploratory steps have remained ongoing.

Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey Director of the Sierra Club, responded to Senator Testa’s comment:

“The Sierra Club has been committed to protecting wildlife for over 130 years. We are working to prevent marine strandings along the Jersey shore but also across the entire Atlantic Coast. Our job is to work on mitigating the impacts to marine wildlife that have already been scientifically proven, which is climate change, fishing entanglements, plastics and increased shipping.

“Senator Testa, we appreciate you wanting to follow science and protect whales. The NJDEP, Marine Mammal Stranding Center, and NOAA, have all asserted no evidence correlating whale mortalities to offshore wind. If you truly want to protect marine wildlife, there are concrete and scientifically proven steps we can all take together. Seeing marine mammals wash up along our beaches is devastating, which is why our organization is working to find real solutions like reducing vessel speeds, mitigating plastic pollution in our oceans, and supporting environmentally responsible offshore wind energy.

“The climate crisis is putting marine wildlife in danger, an irrefutable fact. One of the best ways we can fight climate change is through the equitable and safe development of renewable energy, including offshore wind projects. Offshore wind projects, when responsibly sited and managed to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife and habitat, can spur economic development, create jobs in coastal communities, improve energy security, and cut climate-destabilizing pollution. But to protect their own interests, the fossil fuel industry is doing everything it can to delay the development of offshore wind–including accusing this renewable energy source of being a threat to whale populations.

“Sierra Club is an organization committed to environmental protection, justice and science. As a scientist myself, it is my duty to follow scientific evidence before emotions or personal biased beliefs. The science is clear, there has been no connection found between the marine mammal strandings and offshore wind development. Through our bedrock environmental laws and regulations like NEPA, we can achieve environmentally responsible offshore wind development. That is our goal, and we will work very hard at it even by singing the Kumbaya.”

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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.