Editor’s note: This story was updated on December 5, 2023.
A former U.S. Navy secretary and long-serving diplomat has called on the Biden administration and Congress to halt plans for massive offshore wind farms near Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
J. William Middendorf warned in an Oct. 24 letter to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the projects were being “obstructed through a poor regulatory process despite controversy over their recognized impacts and questionable benefits,” according to a copy exclusively obtained. by mail.
Middendorf, 99, predicted to Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. that the events “will destroy ocean habitat, decimate marine animal populations, cripple ocean-dependent industries, and destroy quality of life.” that proximity to the ocean offers residents and visitors.
“They will also enrich foreign energy companies at the expense of American taxpayers and endanger national security, military operations and maritime security,” Middendorf added. “Offshore wind complexes will increase energy costs and create a huge environmental liability that will last until the last turbine goes down, all without reducing our carbon emissions or taking a single fossil fuel plant offline.”
“Offshore wind developments off Rhode Island and Massachusetts will destroy ocean habitat,” Middendorf said in an Oct. 24 letter to Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. AP
Brown did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Middendorf served as secretary of the Navy under former presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford before becoming U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States and envoy to the European Union under President Ronald Reagan.
In addition to Brown, Middendorf also sent copies of his letter to Rhode Island’s congressional delegation, Biden administration officials and other members of Congress, urging all North Atlantic windmill projects to pause until two are completed. previous government investigations into its effects.
A former US Navy secretary and diplomat has called on the Biden administration and Congress to halt plans for huge offshore wind farms near Rhode Island and Massachusetts. us navy
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, both Rhode Island Democrats who received copies of the letters, did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Reps. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) or Gabe Amo (D-RI).
In September, a fisheries regulatory board in the Ocean State resigned en masse after being sidelined from the regulatory process, which could approve the construction of up to 16 wind farms by 2025.
The Government Accountability Office is currently investigating whether the development of offshore wind energy negatively affects maritime activities, and the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General will audit the effects of windmills on air and military traffic, as well as control radar.
Orsted, a Danish wind farm producer, has been waiting for billions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits from the Biden administration and state lawmakers, only to pull out early on some projects. fake images
“I do not understand why the leaders of our coastal states appear to welcome the destruction of their oceans for foreign profit, as it has become clear that offshore wind developments do not reduce carbon emissions or fuel dependency fossils,” Middendorf added, apparently referring to Orsted.
The Danish wind farm producer has been waiting for billions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits from the Biden administration and state lawmakers, only to pull out early on some projects.
The push to renewable energy came as a result of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, a $739 billion law ostensibly to combat climate change.
Rhode Island Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, who received copies of the letters, did not respond to requests for comment. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
But Middendorf said much of the investment will not reduce fossil fuel use or carbon emissions.
“Because wind is intermittent and neither the technology nor manufacturing capacity exists to provide adequate battery storage, the grid needs fossil fuel generators ready to supply 100% of electricity needs,” he wrote.
“These projects will not replace a single fossil fuel power plant. Additionally, cycling on demand from low output to full capacity means that fossil fuel backup generators will emit more [carbon dioxide] than they would have in a constant demand scenario,” he added, pointing to an assessment by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) that wind turbines will have “no measurable influence on climate change.”
Middendorf said much of the investment will not reduce fossil fuel use or carbon emissions. REUTERS
Middendorf also noted the possibility of interference with U.S. military operations, referencing BOEM’s decision not to develop 700 square miles off the coast of North Carolina near U.S. Navy and Air Force training ranges. USA
“A hurricane moving up the East Coast, something that is happening with increasing frequency as the Earth warms, could not only disable but destroy thousands of turbines, leaving a fractured grid and an ocean littered with huge chunks of debris. “, said.
“Who will bear these costs? “Not the energy companies that are developing these offshore wind complexes, but American taxpayers.”
A source familiar with the letter told The Post that Middendorf had agreed earlier this year to write to military “senior commanders” and elected officials expressing concerns after learning of industrial offshore wind developments off Rhode Island. .
After a joint effort between members of a local environmental organization that opposes wind developments and the former ambassador, the signed letter was delivered to a member of the group and Middendorf approved its addressing and sending, according to email exchanges reviewed by The Post.
However, the former Secretary of the Navy never received confirmation of the actual recipients of the letter.
“Ambassador Middendorf did not authorize the letter that was sent to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Ken Dooley, who serves as an assistant and co-authored books with Middendorf, told The Post on Tuesday night.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn