Jeff Van Ahab Harpoons a MAGA-Friendly Whale
Dead whales are now a political issue.
With dead whales – and dolphins too – regularly washing up on New Jersey beaches, the cause of the problem may depend on your political perspective.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a once-Democrat turned MAGA-Republican, knows where he stands.
Van Drew, who represents a huge chunk of south Jersey, last month convened a public hearing in Wildwood to hear from those who said they knew what was up.
Wind turbines and by extension, the off-shore wind industry, and by further extension, the so-called climate change agenda.
That’s the culprit.
Fighting “green energy” is red meat for many right-wing Republicans and the hearing certainly accomplished that.
On the other hand, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, says there is no link between whale deaths and offshore wind.
In the case of New Jersey, there is not even any ongoing wind turbine construction. What is happening is underwater surveying in preparation for construction.
So, the argument – presumably – is that underwater noise is so disconcerting to whales that some of them end up dead.
The state’s nine Democratic members of the House are not buying it.
All signed a letter sent on Wednesday to the White House Council on Environmental Quality asking it to do more to address the real problem – “vessel strikes and entanglements.”
The nine Democratic reps said that rising ocean temperatures force whales to move north.
That can be problematic because the massive mammals are then closer to shipping lanes to New Jersey and New York ports, which move more cargo than any other container ports in the country. That can’t be stopped, but the letter asks the administration to do a better job regulating the speed of vessels. The letter also says commercial fishing lines and pollution – mainly from plastics – are endangering whales and other sea life.
The letter says that the NOAA “has long stated that boats and ships are striking, injuring and killing marine mammals.”
Then, there is a larger, political point.
“Opponents are funding attempts to blame offshore wind pre-construction activity for marine mammal deaths without scientific evidence.”
As we know, politics and science are not always on the same page.
So, the argument – presumably – is that underwater noise is so disconcerting to whales that some of them end up dead.
I believe this is a very strong possibility & underwater construction should be halted until there is further investigation into this cause of mammal deaths.
Isn’t it funny that we never had problems of whale deaths, even in the NYC-NJ shipping lanes until this past year to year and a half when Orsted and related companies started doing sonic and sonar underwater tests to begin their progams of building a massive wind turbine farm off of the New Jersey coast. Nothing happened before these companies started doing these underwater tests. Yes, you had your usual ship strikes, but nowhere causing the number of deaths of whales and dolphins we’re now seeing. Also, dolphins move too fast for ship strikes, so how do you explain their significant increase in numbers in deaths?
Isn’t it funny that these types of surveys have gone on for decades and are done in every ocean. Ever seen the TV series called ‘Drain the Ocean ‘ on Discovery networks. That’s ocean surveying done for our entertainment. The reason we hear more about it is this country’s unquenchable appetite for imported goods and the wales migrating farther north due to climate change. These are two things the money behind all of this ‘outrage’ don’t want discussed because it would show shine the spotlight on them.
Don’t trust jeff
Isn’t it funny that due to Covid and the backed up container vessels that we are seeing more of those now that they are playing catch up. Ask Capt Ahab how much money the fossil fuel industry is paying him and his sailors
personally I think it was the drag queen show that caused all the mammals to commit suicide. Such an affront to our lord and savior of the universe who rules over the seven kings and controls the destiny of man with the all powerful ring of Mordor is the reason our world is falling apart.
I think you may want to research the data that has been tracking for at least 20 years. You are incorrect, there have been many years where there have been 9-12 stranding. 2003-2005…23 stranding. 2017-2020…39 strandings…all in NJ.
What a completely clueless remark from NoMore. Likely doesn’t even know what a Marxist is. And Van Drew is closer to a Marxist than anyone in Washington.