New legislation could stall US offshore wind farm development, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) said.
The House Appropriations Committee adopted language calling for a one-year Department of Defense study of the impact of offshore wind turbines, which allegedly "when arranged in large arrays may cause interference to radars and that vibrations generated by the operation of turbines may cause sonic interference to underwater sonar."
"The House Appropriations Committee adopted language to the FY20 Defense Department Appropriations Act that threatens to derail a growing domestic offshore wind industry," said NOIA president Randall Luthi. "Some in Congress continue to seek to sow conflict between offshore energy development and military operations."
"Simply stated, we do not need more delays to once again study offshore wind, a renewable energy source which bolsters U.S. energy independence and enhances our national security," Luthi said.
“For decades, offshore wind developers and the U.S. military have worked in tandem with our NATO allies in the North Sea alongside offshore wind turbines. That same collaboration can happen in the United States if Congress will stop giving in to conspiracy theories suggesting that wind energy cannot coexist with other industries and military operations in the OCS."
"America’s energy companies are on the cusp of major construction projects in the OCS. If this language is made law, those projects will be threatened and the jobs and energy security that construction brings will be needlessly delayed."