Political Quotes

“Like canaries in coal mines, the recent spate of tragic whale and dolphin deaths and a well-founded suspicion that geophysical surveys, including the use of sonar may be a contributing cause, has brought new light and increased scrutiny to the fast-tracking of approximately 3,400 offshore wind turbines covering 2.4 million acres by 2030, more after that by 2040--all embedded into the ocean floor by massive pile drivers--in the North Atlantic Planning Area that includes New Jersey's coast. The offshore wind industrialization approval process has left unaddressed and unanswered numerous serious questions concerning the potentially harmful environmental impact on whales, marine life, and the ecosystems that currently allow all sea creatures great and small to thrive. Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, pointed out in testimony at a field hearing chaired by my good friend and colleague, Jeff Van Drew, that the National Marine Fisheries Service has said, ``Offshore wind is a new use of our marine waters, requiring substantial scientific and regulatory review.'' So she asks: So, where is the substantial review? My amendment, Mr. Chair, requires the U.S. Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to investigate the sufficiency of the environmental review process for offshore wind projects of the Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and any other relevant Federal agency.…”