OCEAN CITY, Md. - Ocean City’s Mayor Rick Meehan and City Council members are urging State and Federal officials to cease development of offshore wind farms on Tuesday. Their call for a moratorium follows a spike in whales washing ashore in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and now Virginia.
“Ocean City insists that all approvals and construction of wind farms off our coast be delayed until all environmental issues, economic concerns, and view shed options be fully explored, and these projects are relocated to more suitable lease areas further offshore,” Meehan said.
An endangered right whale was found dead Monday on the bay side of Virginia Beach. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says it is the third whale death from unknown causes in a week.
The trend has reignited the debate over potentially unforeseen effects wind turbines may have on marine life. Meehan says he's met with various East Coast beach town mayors and representatives to discuss the wind farm construction and its impact on the environment.
“Like many other officials along the coast, we believe that development of any energy type within our fragile coastal ecosystem must be done in a responsible manner,” Meehan said.
So far, 12 New Jersey Shore mayors have also called for a halt on offshore wind activity.
In a statement also released Tuesday, NOAA repeated its stance that there is no evidence to suggest any correlation between the whale deaths and offshore turbines.