A study on offshore wind development by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) – one that’s been nearly two years in the making – was at last released today, and it identifies a number of potential problems with the industry but few concrete answers.
The 68-page report acknowledges that building massive wind turbines off America’s coastline, including along the Jersey Shore, could have a variety of impacts on commercial fishing, marine ecosystems, defense radar systems, and local communities. But it also stresses how much is still uncertain about what’s still a relatively new industry.
“Development and operation of offshore wind energy facilities could affect marine life and ecosystems, including through acoustic disturbance and changes to marine habitats,” the GAO report declares in its introduction. “Wind development could bring jobs and investment to communities. At the same time, it could disrupt commercial fishing to varying degrees. Turbines could also affect radar system performance, alter search and rescue methods, and alter historic and cultural landscapes.”
“Because technology and implementation are still developing, the extent of some impacts is unknown,” it later states. “In addition, uncertainty exists about long-term and cumulative effects, but research and monitoring activities are ongoing to better understand potential impacts.”
The report was first commissioned in 2023, at a time when offshore wind was commanding headlines in New Jersey. That year, a number of dead whales washing up along the Jersey Shore prompted calls from local and national Republican politicians to halt offshore wind development, though federal scientific agencies said at the time that the deaths did not appear to be connected to the construction of wind turbines (something that the GAO reiterated in its study today).
Two of New Jersey’s most consistent anti-offshore wind voices, coastal Reps. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) and Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), made repeated efforts in Congress to get the GAO, a watchdog agency led by the U.S. Comptroller, to initiate a study of offshore wind’s impacts. In July 2023, the GAO agreed to conduct such a study.
In the 21 months since then, quite a bit has changed in the offshore wind industry. New President Donald Trump, a fierce opponent of wind development, paused federal permits for offshore wind farms and initiated a review of the industry on his first day in office. And even before Trump took office, New Jersey’s local wind industry had been struggling, with several major companies withdrawing from planned wind projects.
But as the GAO noted in its report today, the industry isn’t necessarily dead; one wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean (off the coastline of Rhode Island) is operational, and another 15, including Atlantic Shores South near Atlantic City, are in some phase of construction or permitting.
Smith said that he hopes today’s GAO report will change that, and bring offshore wind to even more of a screeching halt.
“[The report should] be yet another wake up call to stop this dangerous initiative,” Smith said. “The offshore wind industrialization approval process has left unaddressed and unanswered numerous serious questions concerning the potentially harmful environmental impact on marine life and the ecosystems that currently allow all sea creatures great and small including whales to thrive. The GAO report confirms that there are still many, many unaddressed and unanswered questions.”
The report indeed references a number of potential (though not always definitive) deleterious impacts offshore wind construction could have on marine life, fisheries, maritime navigation, defense radar systems, and quality of life in coastal communities. It also faults the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for not doing enough to engage with local residents, fisheries, and Native American tribes, the last of which has not been a focus for New Jersey politicians but occupies a large portion of the report.
However, the GAO does note that the proliferation of offshore wind could lead to greater economic development and lower carbon footprints, two of the chief arguments put forward by the industry’s proponents. And it lists a number of steps the BOEM could take, or in some cases has already taken, to reduce any negative impacts and coordinate better with stakeholders like the commercial fishing industry and tribal leaders.
The GAO said that its study involved speaking with offshore wind developers, fisheries, scientific research organizations, Native American tribes, state government officials, and representatives from other industries that could be affected by offshore wind; visiting two offshore wind development sites in Virginia and Massachusetts; reviewing existing documentation on the industry; and creating a panel of 23 experts on various topics associated with the industry to advise on the report.
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