Bloomberg Law
Nov. 29, 2022, 9:10 PM

Endangered Whales at Risk From Offshore Wind, US Scientist Warns

Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Bloomberg News

Planned wind projects off the New England coast threaten to harm the region’s dwindling population of endangered right whales, according to a US government marine scientist.

The warning from a top National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official, obtained by Bloomberg under a Freedom of Information Act request, underscores the potential legal and environmental perils of offshore wind development along the coast. President Joe Biden has a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind within the decade.

Both initial construction of wind projects and decades of expected operation threaten to imperil right whales in southern New England waters, Sean Hayes, ...