The strategy supports President Biden's goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. The announcement coincided with news that Equinor and BG are swapping leases for offshore wind projects in Massachusetts and New York. Despite concerns about the impact of offshore wind projects on whales, the agencies maintain that there is currently no evidence that offshore wind development is harming or killing whales. They highlight that the biggest threat to whales is climate change, making the transition to cleaner, renewable energy critically important.
Key takeaways:
- The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have announced a new strategy to protect endangered North American right whales from the impact of offshore wind farms.
- The strategy uses artificial intelligence and passive acoustic monitoring to track the whales and monitor the impacts of wind development on them. It also includes measures to avoid building in areas that could impact whales, set noise limits during construction, and support research into quieter technologies.
- The strategy supports President Biden’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. As of September 2023, there were 30 offshore wind lease areas along the East Coast.
- Despite concerns about the impact of offshore wind projects on whales, the agencies say there is currently no evidence that offshore wind development is harming or killing whales. The biggest threat to whales is climate change and entanglement in fishing gear.