- The lawsuit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is over construction schedules for Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm (CVOW), the largest offshore wind farm to date in U.S. waters. may confuse. ) project.
- The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and the Heartland Institute urge BOEM and NMFS to revise their allegedly inadequate environmental reviews and related North Atlantic right whale harassment permits within the next 60 days. I asked them to start. Otherwise, both groups will go to court to challenge it. Agency actions, the consequences of which could disrupt CVOW schedules.
- “This letter formally notifies BOEM. CFACT “We are prepared to file a lawsuit to expose the agency’s clear violations of federal law in failing to protect North Atlantic right whales,” CFACT President Craig Rucker said of the organization’s lawsuit and its impact.
A pending legal challenge to the Biden administration could disrupt the construction schedule of a Virginia offshore wind farm slated to be the nation’s largest.
The Heartland Institute and the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) filed a 60-day complaint. news intends to sue the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on Monday, alleging that the biological reviews underlying the agency’s approvals were inadequate. showed that. The purpose is for construction teams to legally harass large numbers of endangered North Atlantic right whales. The groups are asking authorities to revoke the allegedly flawed review, known as a “biological opinion,” within 60 days and amend the number of harassment permits.
If the agency ignores the request and does not revise the certified whale count to reflect the new assessment, it will go to court to challenge the biological opinion, the notice said. This notice, and the potential for costly and time-consuming litigation, increases the risks facing Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. according to Go to CFACT.
“This letter formally notifies BOEM. CFACT The agency is prepared to file a lawsuit to expose clear violations of federal law by the agency in failing to protect North Atlantic right whales. Consider each offshore wind project individually by refusing to consider the cumulative impacts of dozens of industrial offshore wind farms consisting of thousands of individual turbines planned for the East Coast CFACT’s Craig Rucker said: The Chairman spoke about his organization’s application and its impact. “This is clearly a ploy to artificially reduce the overall impact of these projects on North Atlantic right whales. This clear violation of federal law was ignored by regulators, but the courts will not tolerate it.” .” (Related: Biden administration greenlights another large offshore wind farm amid industry issues, whale deaths on the rise)
Marine conservation group received funding from supporters, including offshore wind power supporters, potentially linked to whale deaths: report https://t.co/H1WfxQExOn
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 16, 2023
This notice states that the biological view of the CVOW project, published by NMFS and adopted by BOEM, primarily assesses the cumulative impact that other East Coast offshore wind projects would have on migration across the North Atlantic right coast. They claim that this violates the Endangered Species Act because it does not take into account the According to the text, whales migrate near other developed areas in addition to CVOW.
The Biden administration announced on October 31 that it had given the green light to CVOW development, putting the project on track to become the largest offshore wind farm in U.S. waters. The government’s approval followed months of speculation that the offshore wind industry was causing a significant spike in North Atlantic right whale mortality along the East Coast.
The number of baleen whale deaths has increased significantly due to 2016 East Coast development begins, schedule broadly consistent with NOAA’s declaration of ‘unusual fatalities’ in the North Atlantic right and humpback whale whales in 2017 and 2016, respectively, according to the website.
Although there are people who criticize offshore wind power generation, was suggested Offshore wind-related sonar activity may be disorienting whales and dulling their sensitive hearing, making them unable to pass through dangerous areas or in ways they normally wouldn’t. They are much more likely to have trouble finding food. government agency And several major environmental groups claim there is no available science to prove there is a link between offshore wind power and whale mortality. The government’s current position is that climate change and ship collisions, not ocean industrialization, are the main causes of the increase in deaths.
Offshore wind power is a key aspect of the Biden administration’s overall green energy agenda. the purpose The goal is for the U.S. power sector to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, and for the entire U.S. economy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. trying hard The goal is for offshore wind to generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 10 million U.S. homes by 2030, but that goal has been postponed due to concerns about the industry’s environmental impact and deep economic struggles. has been done. be exposed to danger.
Representatives for BOEM and NMFS declined to comment, saying they cannot comment on litigation matters. Dominion Energy and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at [email protected].
