Offshore Wind & the Environment
Will industrializing the ocean harm marine mammals?
20,664
Whales
NOAA is granting offshore wind developers permission to harm over 20,000 whales.
Whales are Dying: Is there a link to offshore wind?
Written by Lisa Quattrocki Knight, M.D., Ph.D. and Bill Thompson for Green Oceans.
477,039
Dolphins & Porpoises
NOAA is granting offshore wind developers permission to harm almost a half million dolphins.
Think Twice: Do we want to short-circuit our environmental protection?
Written by Lisa Quattrocki Knight, M.D., Ph.D. for Green Oceans.
100,742
Seals
NOAA is grant offshore wind developers permission to harm over 100,000 seals.
Recent Whale Deaths
Should we worry?
Humpback or fin whale found floating in front of the SouthFork Construction site in September, 2023.
Was construction work occurring at the time?
Yes. The Ørsted Mariner's briefing for that week in September stated that construction was occurring at that site (see area in red).
Did NOAA know about the dead whale?
Yes. The dead humpback whale washed up on Block Island's southern beach several days later. NOAA kept the incident from the public. We filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain the police report that verified the death.
Can endangered whales survive offshore wind?
NOAA has granted more "takes" than the number of whales alive today.
The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered, with only 70 remaining reproductively active females and 334 total individuals alive today. Regardless of this critical status, NOAA has granted wind developers over 1000 permissions to harm and harass these whales. This exceeds the size of the entire population.
What does NOAA say?
This juvenile fin whale was found stranded on February 29, 2024.
Fin whales are one of the five endangered species that forage in the waters off Rhode Island to survive the winter. Offshore wind construction activity overlaps with their natural habitat. Since offshore wind activity began in 2016, whales have died at an unusually high rate. People who question whether there is an association between offshore wind activity and whale deaths have been silenced by the very people we would expect to help protect these endangered species.
Won’t climate change kill more whales than offsore wind?
Whales evolved over 50 million years ago when the planet’s atmosphere contained twice as much CO2 as it does today and the temperature was more than 10 degress C (18 degrees F) warmer. Climate change is not killing whales, humans are.
Will offshore wind harm endangered birds?
The blades are deceptively fast, traveling at an average speed of 150 mph at the tips. They pose a serious threat to birds and bats.
Source
Wind Turbines: Threat to National Treasure of the Great Lakes
The endangered Piping Plover, a native to Rhode Island, will be in harm's way.
Source
The Rhode Island wind projects will occupy a portion of the Atlantic flyway, a major migration route for thousands of birds.
Source
Can offshore wind cause other problems?
Offshore Wind Power Could Alter Ocean Currents
Generating wind power at sea may disturb ocean currents and marine ecosystems, according to a new study.
Wind Power Affects Local Climate
Wind turbines generate turbulence that can extend for over 45 miles. Harvard Scientists recognized that on land, wind turbines raise local temperatures significantly.
Offshore Wind Turbines create long-lasting sediment plumes
Currents and tides interact with turbine foundations to create turbulence and sediment plumes. This effect could alter water temperature stratification and plankton growth. Some scientists are concerned about unknown effects on the hydrodynamics of the ocean.