Citing Whale Deaths, MD Mayor Calls For Halt To Offshore Wind Farms

OCEAN CITY, MD — The mayor of a city on Maryland's Eastern Shore is calling for an immediate halt to offshore wind farm construction, citing "unprecedented whale deaths on the East Coast."

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan released a statement Tuesday urging state and federal leaders to halt wind farm development. The request came hours after another dead whale washed ashore Monday in Manasquan, New Jersey.

"Like many other officials along the coast, we believe that development of any energy type within our fragile coastal ecosystem must be done in a responsible manner," Meehan said, adding that he had met with mayors and officials from several East Coast beach towns regarding the issue.

• RELATED: Dead Whale Washes Ashore In Manasquan, 9th This Winter In NJ

"Ocean City insists that all approvals and construction of wind farms off our coast be delayed until all environmental issues, economic concerns, and view shed options be fully explored, and these projects are relocated to more suitable lease areas further offshore," Meehan continued.

The whale discovered in Manasquan is the latest to wash up dead on New York and New Jersey beaches. Since Dec. 5, nine dead whales have washed ashore in New Jersey, according to Clean Ocean Action.

Last month, a dead humpback whale washed ashore on Assateague Island, though officials were unsure what caused the sea mammal's death.

In a statement issued following the discovery, Park Service officials said there were no "obvious signs to the cause of death." A necropsy was scheduled for Jan. 17, and officials have not released the results.

Since January 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded a spike in humpback whale deaths along the Atlantic coast. At 35, Massachusetts and New York recorded the most whale deaths, Virginia with 28 whale deaths, and North Carolina and New Jersey with 25 deaths. The deaths prompted NOAA to declare an "unusual mortality event."

The unusual mortality event includes the North Atlantic right whale, a species that has also recorded a spike in deaths. More than 20 percent of the right whale population has been affected by the unusual mortality event that's been documented since 2017.

On the West Coast, NOAA has been tracking an unusual mortality event involving gray whales.

Following the discovery of the whale carcass on Assateague Island, Maryland state Rep. Andy Harris called for a moratorium on windmill construction.

"We need to take the time to gather proper scientific data, act in full transparency, and not rely upon FAQ platitudes for these projects, their construction, and the impact they may have upon our environment," Harris said in a statement obtained by CBS News.

Environmental groups in New Jersey continue to blame the unusual number of whale deaths on offshore wind development. Under the leadership of Gov. Phil Murphy and President Joe Biden, hundreds of miles of wind turbines are currently being built in the New York/New Jersey bight.

Murphy has said he wants to build the largest offshore wind farm in the nation off the Jersey and New York City coasts.

"The only unique factor from previous years is the excessive scope, scale and magnitude of offshore wind powerplant activity in the region," Clean Ocean Action said Monday.

In Maryland, lawmakers enacted the Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 to encourage offshore wind development and contribute to the state's goal of sourcing 50 percent of the state's energy from renewable sources by 2030.

Maryland has four offshore wind projects under development that will power nearly 600,000 homes by 2026, according to the Maryland Energy Administration.

Those supporting wind energy say it is premature to connect dead whales washing ashore to wind turbine construction.

"A broad coalition of environmental organizations agree it's important to discover why we're seeing increased whale mortalities in New Jersey and surrounding areas; however, they believe that correlating it to wind turbine site exploration is unfounded and premature," the Sierra Club said in a statement released last month.

According to NOAA, no evidence supports a link between offshore wind and whale deaths.

"We will continue to gather data to help us determine the cause of death for these mortality events. We will also continue to explore how sound, vessel, and other human activities in the marine environment impact whales and other marine mammals," NOAA officials said on the agency's website.