New Jersey Senate Republicans held a hearing on Wednesday to gather information on continued unexplained whale and dolphin deaths at the Jersey Shore.
“We’re here today to seek information, not to perpetuate previously held beliefs and not to confirm anything,” State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) of Little Silver said in his opening remarks. “We don’t know that offshore wind activities are causing these deaths. We don’t definitively know they’re not.”
The majority of New Jersey Republicans have called for a moratorium on offshore wind farm exploration activities at least until there’s a serious investigation; those calls have been resisted by Democrats who currently run both the White House and Trenton. Meanwhile, Jersey Shore residents are concerned about the impact grisly beachings may have on tourism as Memorial Day rapidly approaches.
“I personally hear from countless residents, small businesses, and visitors every single week that they do not want to see, hear, or experience the impacts of offshore wind development in my town,” Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra said. “They know offshore wind would devastate our on-land quality of life.”
You can watch the full hearing below:
