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Last week, a female right whale died 50 miles off the Virginia coast, this marks the fourth documented North Atlantic right whale death in US waters this year. Researchers say there are as few as 350 right whales left in the North Atlantic, with only 70 of those animals being females capable of weaning a calf.
According to a coalition of three conservative groups – CFACT, the Heartland Institute and the National Legal and Policy Centre – this makes the halting of the Virginia Offshore Wind project a matter of urgency.
Last month, the three groups filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration to stop what they say would be the largest wind energy project in the world.
The Virginia Offshore Wind project could cause significant harm to the North Atlantic right whale, according to the complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit aims to cause Dominion Energy to halt construction on the project until the ocean management agency develops a new “biological opinion” that covers verifiable protection against potential harm to the North Atlantic right whale.
Read more: Whale of a lawsuit threatens to swallow up Biden green energy agenda, Fox News, 27 March 2024
Meanwhile, Dominion Energy claims that documents relating to its processes to protect whales are “confidential and proprietary.” So, the three groups have filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain Dominion Energy’s plan to protect endangered whales.
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The following is a press release from CFACT dated 10 April 2024.
A coalition of three public interest groups – the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (“CFACT”), The Heartland Institute, and the National Legal and Policy Centre filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) to compel Dominion Energy to reveal the methods it intends to use to protect the critically endangered Right Whale from extinction. Dominion has hidden its species protection plan from public view.
The FOIA request, filed on 2 April, seeks to compel the Bureau of Energy Management (“BOEM”) to release two documents that Dominion Energy has filed with BOEM, which explain the procedures the energy giant will use to ensure that its construction of a wind facility off the coast of Virginia will not result in harm to whales and other protected marine species. Dominion has marked these documents as “Proprietary and Confidential Business Information Exempt from Public Disclosure.”
This request is after the reported death on 30 March of a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale near Virginia Beach – a female that was accompanied by a newborn calf. This marks the fourth documented North Atlantic Right Whale death in US waters this year. Researchers say there are as few as 350 right whales left in the North Atlantic, with only 70 of those animals being females capable of weaning a calf.
This latest right whale fatality was named “Catalogue No. 1950” by the New England Aquarium. She was at least 35 years old and was last seen alive with her calf off Amelia Island, Florida, on 16 February. Experts do not expect the calf to survive without the support of its mother. According to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s aerial survey, the mother had successfully raised five prior calves.
On 24 March, Heartland, CFACT, and NLPC filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking a preliminary injunction to stop Dominion Energy’s massive wind turbine project off the shore of Virginia. Now, this coalition is asking BOEM for expedited treatment of this request for documents on the grounds that it is “a matter of urgent and compelling public interest.” The group has requested a response to their demand for information in 10 business days rather than the usual 20 business days for less urgent requests.
Dominion Energy has stated in documents filed with BOEM that it intends to begin offshore construction activities no later than 1 May. The project, if completed, will consist of 176 turbines, each with blades longer than a football field. The turbines will be manufactured by the Siemens Co. Earlier this year, Siemens took a financial write-down of $4.7 billion due to warranty payments caused by faulty turbine components.
Craig Rucker, President of CFACT, has criticised Dominion’s project as a “get rich quick boondoggle”. He adds: “This is just one more indication of Dominion’s bad faith and attempted cover-up by sidestepping regulations that would not only protect the right whale but also help save many other marine species whose lives will be put in jeopardy by this unwanted and unnecessary project.”
H. Sterling Burnett, Director of the Arthur B. Robinson Centre for Climate and Environmental Policy at The Heartland Institute, said: “There is nothing commercially proprietary about the impact of Dominion’s offshore activities on the North Atlantic Right Whale or other protected marine mammals and sea life. And there is nothing proprietary about their efforts to mitigate any impact. Such information is critical to the public’s ability to critically assess the impacts and its ability to comment on them with full knowledge.
“On this issue of fundamental importance, transparency is critical, yet Dominion has made it opaque, and the government, outrageously, has allowed it. Dominion and the government’s position appears to be: ‘Trust us, we are doing nothing wrong.’ But that is simply not good enough. Unless and until Dominion or the government releases the information in Dominion’s Appendices R and FF, and the public is allowed time to digest and comment on it, this project should be stayed by the courts, and all permitting ceased”.
Paul Kamenar, lead counsel for NLPC, said: “Federal regulations prohibit even one human-caused death per year if the right whale is to survive as a species. Robust review of the means by which Dominion intends to achieve that goal is the only way the public will accept the claim by Dominion that their protection of the Right Whale is adequate.”
James Taylor, President of the Heartland Institute, said: “I am totally perplexed why Dominion Energy believes it can obtain public approval of its wind factory by concealing its plan for protection of the right whale. How can protection of the right whale qualify as ‘confidential business information’ when at the same time Dominion is granted monopoly protection and a guaranteed rate of return on its assets?”
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Categories: Breaking News, World News
I don’t understand how the turbines are theorised to kill whales. By interfering with their sonar?
I am guessing that they at least put them high enough above the water to not hit passing whales…
Hi A Person, we’ve previously published articles on the plight of the North Atlantic right whales which you may find interesting. You can find these articles on our website by conducting a search for “whales” or click on the link: https://expose-news.com/?s=whales
Perhaps start with the one linked below:
Thrown To The Wind: The film that could Save an Entire Whale Species is now free to watch
https://expose-news.com/2023/09/21/the-film-to-save-an-entire-whale-species/
Thanks, Rhoda. Sounds like the sound does a lot:
“The sound is equivalent to the blast from a 155-millimeter Howitzer.” – Rhoda’s 9/1/24 article“The wind industry says it isn’t killing whales, but it is. New boat traffic is colliding with whales. And high-decibel sonar is separating whale mothers from their calves, sending them into harm’s way.” – Rhoda’s 21/9/23 article on the “Thrown
To The Wind” film
A bit ironic that the world’s animals were saved by God through Noah and now we are relying on NOAA.
You can’t put them high enough. The turbine’s rotary actions are loud enough to be heard underwater, not to mention the vibration. They are not hitting the whales physically with the blades
difficult to find – but i think this is the nearest:
Offshore wind energy projects could: Increase ocean noise, which could affect the behaviors of fish, whales, and other species. Introduce electro-magnetic fields that impact navigation, predator detection, communication, and the ability for fish and shellfish to find mates.
[…] Whales die while offshore wind developer hides crucial “whale protection” information […]
It’s been shown that sealife around the North Sea offshore wind farms are being harmed – crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans and fish, are being born with deformities and exhibiting strange behaviours. They are dying in numbers.
I live in Virginia and am totally disgusted with this offshore project by Dominion Energy, one of the most corrupt power companies anywhere. Each month, when I pay my power bill, I am also charged 120.00/mo for Dominion’s projects. The other side of all this is the various carbon tax credit companies (read shyster money laundering), like RGGI(Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative), CE Clean Energy Products, RPS Renewable Energy Program and CCR Coal Ash Closure, Off Shore Wind all have their hand out. Dominion Energy contributes to politicians who will support these shakedowns in our state General Assembly. Our state corporation is supposed to be regulating them, personally I think they are part of the theft from customers.
I have been flaming mad for some time about all this nefarious business in the name of green energy.
To have whales, intelligent mammals, be subjected to misery and death and quite probably other marine animals is unconscionable. With your permission, I will be sending this article to our Governor, State Corporation Commission and the General Assembly of Virginia. Along with several state and national politicians that still give a damn. And making it known far and wide.
I thank you for your research on this and your interest in this very important and tragic matter.
Hi Redsheep, please feel free to use what ever information I publish which you feel will inform your Governor (or anyone else) what is happening.
The whales and all of nature was put under our care. No matter where we live in the world the welfare of nature is our responsibility, it was given us (mankind) to provide for our needs but to also to take care of.
I am deeply distressed about the harm climate change crazies are causing the natural world in the name of a so called “climate change crisis.” The story of the whales is such an example and every time I read or hear about it I feel distressed.
[…] Read More: Whales die while offshore wind developer hides crucial “whale protection” informatio… […]
[…] Read More: Whales die while offshore wind developer hides crucial “whale protection” informatio… […]
US and Russian sub sonar is a factor!
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