SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners this week reiterated their concerns about recent whale deaths and a possible link to offshore wind.
The commissioners voted 6-0 on Tuesday to begin sending weekly letters to state and federal officials expressing their alarm over recent whale deaths and concern about the unknowns associated with offshore wind.
“Because it’s a green initiative, I think everybody’s afraid to speak out against it,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said. “If we change the oceans today, we have no idea what the effect is going to be in the future. The ocean is delicate infrastructure. If we take one of the entities out of that it could change it forever and we could maybe never get it back.”
Following a slew of whale deaths along the East Coast during the last several months, local officials have questioned whether there’s a link to seismic testing associated with planned offshore wind farms.
While the offshore wind industry has dismissed any connection to the recent whale deaths and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states there’s no specific link between recent whale mortalities and ongoing surveys for offshore wind development, local officials still worry there’s a connection.