The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) for today’s Point Pleasant Beach rally opposing President Biden and Governor Murphy’s offshore wind industrialization of the Jersey Shore. Smith is the author of two House-passed measures requiring an independent investigation and presidential certification of the wide-ranging and permanent impacts of offshore wind development:
Because both the Murphy and Biden Administrations are forcing approximately 3,400 ocean wind turbines on us without our input, advice or consent.
We say no—enough is enough.
Because Murphy and Biden have not answered any of our profoundly serious questions—even dismissing our well-founded concern that sonar mapping of the ocean floor is contributing to the tragic spike in whale and dolphin deaths as ‘disinformation.’
We say no—enough is enough.
And because there is absolutely no transparency in this egregiously flawed process—I authored two pieces of legislation that passed the House of Representatives to demand accountability.
My first amendment, which passed in late March 244 to 189, tasked the Government Accountability Office—the Congressional watchdog agency—to investigate the ‘sufficiency of the environmental review processes for offshore wind projects…of the Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and any other relevant Federal agency.’
In early Summer, GAO agreed and today is conducting a comprehensive investigation and will soon report to Congress on the impacts of offshore wind projects on:
- Whales, finfish, and marine mammals,
- Commercial and recreational fishing,
- Recreation and tourism,
- Invertebrates,
- Essential fish habitat,
- Benthic resources,
- Cultural, historical, and archaeological resources,
- Sustainability of shoreline beaches and inlets,
- Weakening of radar for boats and jets and national security, and
- The vulnerability of these massive structures the size of the Chrysler Building to hurricanes, nor’easters and superstorms.
One study in 2012 found that: ‘There is very substantial risk that Category 3 and higher hurricanes can destroy half or more of the turbines at some locations.’
My second amendment which passed the House on July 20th, requires the President or his designee to certify that offshore wind turbine projects ‘will not weaken, degrade, interfere with, or nullify the capability of radar relied upon by the Federal Aviation Administration or the Armed Forces.’
It would also require the DOT Inspecter General to conduct a comprehensive review of the sufficiency of the process used to approve offshore wind projects in areas critical to national security and air travel.
The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report in 2022 entitled Wind Turbine Generator Impacts to Marine Vessel Radar and found that wind turbine generators ‘obfuscate the marine vessel radar…’ and ‘can cause significant interference and shadowing that suppress the detection of small contacts…’
That study also found that ‘wind turbine mitigation techniques for marine vessel radar have not been substantially investigated, implemented, matured or deployed.’
Even the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) radar interference analysis from August of 2020 stated, ‘The research team found that the proposed and hypothetical wind farms …will generate interference to these radars…’
At a congressional hearing on April 26th, I asked BOEM’s Director Liz Klein about radar interference and hurricane survivability, she had no answers. I was shocked.
Ocean wind farms are a serious threat to our national security.
And allies around the world are raising alarm bells.
The Armed Forces of Taiwan for example, ‘has confirmed that wind turbines could interfere with the surface-to-air missile systems deployed in the northwestern coast of Taiwan.’ Taiwan, as we all know, faces an existential military threat from Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party, and has concluded that they may not be able to detect an assault due to radar interference from offshore wind turbines.
The armed forces of Finland oppose wind farms because of national defense concerns.
Japan’s military is concerned as well. Last year Kyodo News reported that ‘Wind energy infrastructure being installed across Japan was found interfering with Self-Defense Forces radars for detecting missiles.’
Even the US Department of Defense has restricted areas off the coasts of Southern Maryland and Virginia because of real concerns related to interference with radar and training missions.
Finally, you and I will be paying more for electricity.
Analyzing the new Murphy-backed law that will now give even more taxpayer funds to Orsted, Brian Lipman, Director of New Jersey’s Division of Rate Counsel—a state agency that represents and protects the interests of all utility customers—wrote that ‘There should be no doubt that this bill will increase the amount the developer earns on this project and will result in higher OREC prices being paid by the ratepayers.’
For all of these reasons and more, ocean wind development off our absolutely amazing and beautiful coast must be stopped.
Enough is enough.
