Lawmakers and academics are putting pressure on the Biden administration by asking for a temporary halt to offshore wind construction so that its consequences may be evaluated. These implications include the potential disruption of military operations, navigation, and radar systems.
Military Ramifications of Biden's Offshore Wind Project
In a report by Fox News, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and other offshore wind development stakeholders and experts met with officials from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) earlier this week to voice their concerns.
Smith, who represents a region on the Atlantic coast with a Navy weapons facility and offshore wind projects, said that most of the discussion was dedicated to military implications.
After Smith, colleague New Jersey Representative Jeff Van Drew, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, and numerous other members pressed for a study, the GAO agreed to examine offshore wind development's wide-ranging implications. Part of the inquiry will focus on how wind turbines interfere with military radar.
"It will impact marine radar through sonic interference ... There's going to be nothing but disruption. Radar will not be credible," Smith told Fox News during an interview.
Gross interference will prevent the Coast Guard from performing search and rescue missions, especially in adverse weather conditions, he added. The Navy's Integrated Undersea Surveillance System would likewise be negatively affected.
He expressed his displeasure with the Department of Defense's handling of the situation and its lack of openness. He cited conversations with unnamed military personnel who said wind development was being given preference above national security.
Radar Interference From Wind Turbines
Wind turbines have been the subject of several studies and evaluations in recent years, all of which have concluded that they represent a serious threat to radar systems.
Wind development, according to a National Academy of Sciences report from 2022, will cause "interference with marine vessel radar, which is a critical instrument for navigation, collision avoidance, and use in search and rescue missions."
Finland and Taiwanese military leaders have both voiced worries that the construction of offshore wind farms may compromise their countries' defensive capabilities.
Climate Agenda of the Biden Administration
The climate agenda of the Biden government includes the fast expansion of offshore wind farms over millions of acres of federal waterways, especially on the East Coast. Joe Biden, in his first months in office, set an ambitious target of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.
Several more Atlantic coast offshore wind projects are now in the planning and federal regulatory stages. The Biden administration has also sold leases for hundreds of thousands of acres in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of California to energy companies.
