Amid Whale Deaths, NJ Pursues More Offshore Wind Contracts

NEW JERSEY — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved its third solicitation of offshore wind projects, one week after a group of 30 mayors called for a moratorium on new wind power projects amid a spike in whale deaths.

Three wind farms have already been approved for waters off southern New Jersey, as Governor Phil Murphy has set a goal of having 11 gigawatts of offshore wind energy in New Jersey by 2040. The state is soliciting bids from prospective applicants; applications for new projects are due by June 23, with the board scheduled to decide on the applications by the end of the year.

This move follows the state’s solicitation schedule through 2040, with new projects scheduled to be awarded every two years from 2023-2031. But it comes during a time of increased scrutiny, as officials seek to explain why at least 25 dead whales have washed ashore on the East Coast since Dec. 1, including more than 10 in New Jersey.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2) announced that he would be holding a public hearing March 16 on offshore wind in South Jersey with corresponding legislation demanding a moratorium on offshore wind development; click here to register for the hearing, which is at 2 p.m. at the Wildwood Convention Center.

“If the federal government and these offshore wind companies have nothing to hide, then prove it,” he said in a recent statement. “They must prove that the development of these projects will have no effect on the environment, which is hard to believe following the death of over a dozen whales in the northeast region where surveying is currently taking place.”

Related articles:

• Whale Washes Ashore In Seaside Park (Mar. 2)
• Wind And Whales: ‘No Evidence' Links Projects To Deaths (Mar. 2 - New Jersey Monitor, news partner)
• Offshore Wind Moratorium Urged At Save The Whales Rally (Feb. 20)
• Calls To Halt Offshore Wind Continue In Atlantic, Cape May Counties (Feb. 15)
• Mayors Call For Wind Power Moratorium Amid Whale Deaths (Feb. 28 - The Center Square, news partner)
• Is Offshore Wind To Blame For NJ Whale Deaths? Officials Investigating (Jan. 12)

At a boardwalk rally in February, hundreds called for a moratorium on offshore wind turbine projects. One of the speakers, Bonnie Brady of the Montauk Commercial Fishermen's Association said low-frequency sonar used to check for potential underwater construction sites can affect whales' ability to navigate.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Marine Mammal Commission have thus far said that there is no evidence linking offshore wind activities to whale deaths.

The NOAA has been studying whale deaths since it declared an “unusual mortality event” involving humpbacks in January 2016. Since then, 187 of the animals have died between Maine and Florida, with a high of 34 in 2017: of the 187, 27 of these have been in New Jersey, with the highest numbers in New York (36) and Massachusetts (35).

"Although these strandings have generated media interest and public scrutiny, humpback whale strandings are not new nor are they unique to the U.S. Atlantic coast," the Marine Mammal Commission said in a Feb. 21 statement. "In fact, ten or more humpback whales have stranded each year during the UME (unexplained mortality event), with a high of 34 in 2017."

"As the Gulf of Maine stock of humpback whales continues to grow, more young animals are choosing to overwinter along the Atlantic coast where they are vulnerable to being struck by ships and becoming entangled in fishing gear," the commission said.

A coalition of environmental and public policy groups praised the state for soliciting additional offshore wind projects on Monday.

“The opposition to clean energy is incredibly transparent, led by bad-faith actors funded by the fossil fuel industry,” said Alex Ambrose of New Jersey Policy Perspective in a statement to the Associated Press. “It is obvious their goals are not to make New Jersey cleaner, safer, or more prepared for the climate crisis; their goals are only to protect an antiquated and dangerous source of energy.”

In 2019, the Board of Public Utilities made an award from its first offshore wind solicitation to Danish power company Ørsted’s 1.1-gigawatt Ocean Wind I project. The board made its second and third awards in 2021, to Ocean Wind II for 1.1 gigawatts and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind for 1.5 gigawatts.

Patch’s Veronica Flesher and Karen Wall contributed to this article.