Energy

Biden Admin Pumps More Money Into Offshore Wind Turbines Despite Mounting Whale Deaths

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Antonino Cambria Contributor
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The Department of Energy (DOE) announced more funding to accelerate floating offshore wind development Wednesday, according to a DOE press release Wednesday.

The department announced the use of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to invest in floating offshore wind development projects on the west coast during the ongoing Floating Offshore Wind Summit, according to the department’s press release. However, on the east coast, whales continue to die near offshore wind survey sites, sparking criticism from experts that wind farms are contributing to their deaths.

Numerous scientists have sounded the alarm over an uptick in whale deaths and the negative consequences of offshore wind development on whale populations. East coast whale activist groups like Clean Ocean Action in New Jersey have called for an immediate federal investigation into the projects and whale deaths, according to a January press release.

The Biden administration has touted offshore wind leases as a source of renewable energy as part of its green climate agenda. Recently, about a dozen whales have washed up dead along eastern shores, including some of the endangered right whales. (RELATED: Endangered Whale Washes Up On Mississippi Beach, Scientists Investigating Death)

The DOE will use Inflation Reduction Act funds to launch a study on expanding offshore wind power transmission, initiate a new roadmap for wind operations and maintenance technologies, add California to a research consortium and invest in a Hawaiian floating research buoy that collects offshore wind data, according to the department press release.

These efforts are part of the Biden administration’s Floating Offshore Wind Shot goals of reducing the cost of floating offshore wind energy by over 70% and the deployment of 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind by 2035.


“Floating offshore wind offers untapped opportunities for us to produce clean, reliable and affordable power for millions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in the press release. “President Biden wants America to become a global leader of offshore wind technology and deployment, and with his historic climate investments, DOE is capturing this potential to spur private investment, boost the domestic supply chain and deliver on our bold clean energy goals.”

The announcement is part of the ongoing first Floating Offshore Wind Shot Summit, which is a joint effort by the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Commerce and the Interior aimed at handling challenges with the administration’s climate goals of expanding green investments.

The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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