The Clash over what's causing whale deaths erupted today at the state capitol where opponents of offshore Wind Called for an immediate halt of wind farm development despite clear rebuttals from scientists that point to ship traffic as the real threat it's the latest battle in the partisan fight over clean energy development a debate that also played out in the halls of Congress today where the republican-led house passed a bill that seeks to undo President Biden's plans for a clean energy transition Ted Goldberg reports people from the group protect our Coast protested offshore wind in Trenton today for multiple reasons they got gas diesel oil in the turbine they can leak into the ocean we don't want that there's the economic concerned shutting down the uh the economy of the beach because people aren't going to want to go to the beach anymore there's also the thought that recent whale strandings can be blamed on offshore surveys for future wind farms the vast majority of scientists have said that's unlikely as do state and federal agencies but the folks here aren't so sure we're seeing a massive die off of some of the most extraordinary creatures in our oceans whales and dolphins we don't know why they're dying whether there's a correlation or not we don't know but we want things just to slow down this unusual mortality event has been happening since 2016 which is well before the offshore and energy development Allison McLeod is the public policy director for the New Jersey League of conservation voters she says people are mistaken if they blame offshore wind for the recent deaths of Wales I have a background in Marine Biology I'm a former Marine Mammal Observer myself and as a conservationist we're concerned when we see animals in distress but we think it's important to follow the science and identify actual policies that will help McLeod also pointed out that protect our Coast is affiliated with the Caesar Rodney Institute a think tank funded by oil companies we know what's best for New Jersey and our coast and so you know when profossil fuel industry groups are funding anti-clean energy campaigns we're concerned New Jersey's Republican Congressmen have tried to stop these surveys saying not enough research was done into whether it's safe for whales despite the gravity of this undertaking the Bureau of ocean Energy Management has engaged in a rushed and sloppy project at a sloppy approval process Chris Smith was also at that hearing hosted by Jeff Van Drew earlier today the house passed a bill that would expand American fossil fuel production and it included Smith's amendment that would require the government accountability office to investigate offshore wind projects and report to Congress about their effects on marine life tourism and fishing the offshore wind industrialization approval process has left unaddressed and unanswered numerous serious questions concerning the potentially harmful environmental impacts on whales marine life and the ecosystems that currently allow all sea creatures great and small to thrive Republicans have chosen to put forward a messaging bill that I think is really an insult to every single American that's not an oil or gas executive it's a message Bill and the message is this they want the energy your family uses to be dirtier and more expensive and it's a shame the bill would strip 27 billion dollars in federal funding for clean energy projects but it likely will not make it out of the Senate as more people turn against offshore wind and blame whale deaths five Democratic senators including Bob Menendez and Cory Booker wrote to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week they asked how the agency will address whale injuries and deaths that result from vessel strikes and getting stuck in fishing gear the Democratic senators asked for a response by April 18th notably they did not mention offshore wind in their letter in Trenton I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news [Music] [Music]