A fowl wind blows offshore 

The cumulative impacts of offshore wind development zones has been the primary delay for the wind industry.

Around the world the process has been build the wind turbines, mitigate the known damages, and monitor the impacts. There are now wind farm sites that will not be redeveloped since studies have shown the true electrical output, the excessive cost that can not be raised without public funds, the environmental degradation, and impacts on production Agriculture and the harvesters, all combined exceeding the cost of mitigation.

With the increased science available, showing a variety of impacts, The BOEM (Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management) Lease schedule through 2024 within the Department of Interior should be reevaluated. Since there is no official BOEM Atlantic, director, or administrator that has ever been permanently appointed, the request for a Atlantic review has not been initiated. A reliance on the bidders financial review of the lease sites is how BOEM is determining the viability for development. ( A buyer beware mentality ). This policy is a mistake and is costing the taxpayers millions. There is a BOEM Alaska, Pacific, and a Gulf; BOEM Atlantic does not officially exist. BOEM Atlantic operations run indirectly through BOEM Gulf.

When Wind Energy Development sites create greater food security issues, interferes with commerce, endangers our farmers, produces excessive costs of electricity for our nations farm families, and removes productive agricultural and fishing grounds. Department of Agriculture and the American Farm Bureau need to get involved. . There will be a direct impact on the cost of seafood if the two proposed lease development sites accounting for 42% of all commercial fish landings in the New York Bight Area are developed. A lack of public sustainability in the documented “food deserts” will be created by reducing the availability of protein for the already food insecure.

This is not just a New Jersey issue, but all the East Coast States. Commercial Fishers from Maine to Florida all take advantage of the fertile fishing grounds created by the Cold Water Pool off New York and New Jersey. The New York Bight area is already the most congested eastern United States area for commerce. Traffic lanes through the wind farms must be identical to the current standards for the oil and gas industry with two nautical mile separation zones from structures like wind turbines. Exceptions for the wind industry because of economic hardships should not be tolerated. All the states will see a calculated increase in mortality rate by our seafaring members in the already dangerous occupation no matter how far the wind turbines are placed from the shipping lanes.

Many in the environmental community have shown their true motives on the issue of offshore wind development. Threatened and endangered bird strikes. (Not a problem) Decreases in the bat population (Not a problem) Increased marine mammal mortality among right whales (Not a Problem). Horseshoe Crabs, Finfish, Sharks, Rays and more all will be negatively affected by the stationary wind development projects in our Oceans. It is the commercial fishers who do the husbandry of the sea that are using science to sound the alarm on the impacts of offshore wind. Maryland is just one state that should be looking at the increased mortality rates documented to occur in the blue crab population. We as farmers and fishermen can not rely on the environmental organizations to defend our traditional grounds and Industry. Non-government organizations (NGO) are receiving money as is academia to study the impacts of the stationary wind turbine industry and in doing so are collecting proprietary information for the developers.

The outdated stationary wind turbine industry is pouring money into the development of the East Coast with the knowledge that the West coast will be all floating technology pioneered here in the USA. The foreign owned companies developing the offshore wind turbine development sites need the promise of electric purchase from the states at a higher rate than current green energy to receive private investment. The creation of a electric cable underwater utility company will be spun off when the lease sites are developed to give investors a immediate return of capital. The states and BOEM are not requiring enough bonding for the removal and disposal of the 1000 plus wind turbine monuments as a form of supplementing the coast of development.

The federal government is being lobbied heavily to rewire the countries electric grid to move the electric from the east to west. Without redirecting the wired infrastructure, the volume of proposed electric generated will never make it to land without creating massive blackouts. Currently there is not enough demand for the total output being promised to be purchased by the states. Climate change and electric cars are being named as the two major expansions in consumption that will create the demand for additional end product electrical use.

Obviously, there is much more.

Sincerely,
Brick Wenzel
OCFB- President