A congressional hearing on offshore wind development attended by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R, NJ-02) and Chris Smith (R, NJ-04) was held in Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday, a follow up to a Wildwood hearing held last March (2023).
Congressman Smith zeroed-in on the often overlooked national security concerns associated with wind turbines in navigational channels.
“Lockheed Martin has admitted the progression to larger wind turbines – such as the ones proposed under current BOEM regulations – interferes with current radar technologies ability to gain a clear picture of the horizon,” said Smith. “The Department of Defense has expressed serious concerns over offshore wind development off the Virginia Coast and it is important to determine exactly what those concerns are and whether the potential harms off the Virginia Coast in anyway apply to the North Atlantic and Mid Atlantic Planning Areas.”
“I have personally read some of the environmental impact studies for these projects, and they confidently—almost arrogantly—assert that problems that might arise can all be ‘mitigated,'” the veteran congressman added. “The United Kingdom has spent three years trying to mitigate the effects of radar to no avail. Fighter pilots have admitted to using offshore turbines to hide during training exercises. No significant study as to the impacts on Coast Guard Search and Rescue Operations has been carried out to date.”
Watch below:
