Orsted might be on the run, Save Jerseyans, but Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind is gearing up to take its place in offshore wind development off of the Southern coast of the Jersey Shore.
The latest: just this week, we learned “[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or “NOAA”] Fisheries has issued an incidental harassment authorization to Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during marine site characterization surveys in waters off of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, including in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf Lease Areas OCS-A 0499, OCS-A 0541, OCS-A 0549, and associated export cable corridor areas.”
What does that mean?
The company suspects its activities will disturb marine life, and the government is okay with it. NOAA categorizes two distinct levels of harassment:
Level A harassment means any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance that has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild.
Level B harassment refers to acts that have the potential to disturb (but not injure) a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by disrupting behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.
Here’s the list of the anticipated affected species facing “Level B” harassment:
Does anyone really believe no Level A harassment is possible? Given not only what we observed during Orsted’s “Ocean Wind” adventure – dozens of dead whales and dolphins littering our beaches and waterways – but also in light of other admissions made in past government filings?
If you believe it? I’ve got a wind turbine to sell you…
