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    JWM Letter 10-24-23

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    New York Post
    The letter raises concerns about large offshore wind projects planned off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It notes that the Government Accountability Office and Department of Transportation Inspector General are investigating the potential impacts on maritime activities, radar and air traffic. The letter argues the projects should be halted until these investigations are completed. It contends that the wind turbines will not actually reduce carbon emissions or reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, the projects will damage ocean habitats, fishing industries, and the economy. The letter expresses worries that the turbines will interfere with radar and disrupt military operations, search and rescue missions, and surveillance, threatening national security. It also raises concerns about grid instability and increased cybersecurity risks from remote control of the turbines. The letter

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    JWM Letter 10-24-23

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    New York Post
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    The letter raises concerns about large offshore wind projects planned off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It notes that the Government Accountability Office and Department of Transportation Inspector General are investigating the potential impacts on maritime activities, radar and air traffic. The letter argues the projects should be halted until these investigations are completed. It contends that the wind turbines will not actually reduce carbon emissions or reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, the projects will damage ocean habitats, fishing industries, and the economy. The letter expresses worries that the turbines will interfere with radar and disrupt military operations, search and rescue missions, and surveillance, threatening national security. It also raises concerns about grid instability and increased cybersecurity risks from remote control of the turbines. The letter

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    The letter raises concerns about large offshore wind projects planned off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It notes that the Government Accountability Office and Department of Transportation Inspector General are investigating the potential impacts on maritime activities, radar and air traffic. The letter argues the projects should be halted until these investigations are completed. It contends that the wind turbines will not actually reduce carbon emissions or reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, the projects will damage ocean habitats, fishing industries, and the economy. The letter expresses worries that the turbines will interfere with radar and disrupt military operations, search and rescue missions, and surveillance, threatening national security. It also raises concerns about grid instability and increased cybersecurity risks from remote control of the turbines. The letter

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    3K views2 pages

    JWM Letter 10-24-23

    Uploaded by

    New York Post
    The letter raises concerns about large offshore wind projects planned off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It notes that the Government Accountability Office and Department of Transportation Inspector General are investigating the potential impacts on maritime activities, radar and air traffic. The letter argues the projects should be halted until these investigations are completed. It contends that the wind turbines will not actually reduce carbon emissions or reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, the projects will damage ocean habitats, fishing industries, and the economy. The letter expresses worries that the turbines will interfere with radar and disrupt military operations, search and rescue missions, and surveillance, threatening national security. It also raises concerns about grid instability and increased cybersecurity risks from remote control of the turbines. The letter

    Copyright:

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    of 2

    J.

    William Middendorf II

    October 24, 2023

    Dear General Brown,

    I recently learned of the enormous, industrial offshore wind complexes planned for the pristine ocean off Rhode
    Island and Massachusetts. I am shocked that some of these projects are already under construction, and others are
    being ramrodded through a deficient regulatory process despite the controversy over their acknowledged impacts
    and questionable benefits.

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is currently investigating the potential impacts of planned offshore
    wind developments on maritime activities. The Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) is also
    conducting an audit of the effects of offshore wind on radar, commercial air, and military traffic and the sufficiency
    of the review process on these issues. The North Atlantic offshore wind projects should be halted until the results of
    the GAO and the DOT investigation are published.

    I fail to understand why our coastal states' leadership seems 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 dependence on
    fossil fuels. Instead, they destroy pristine ocean habitats, decimate fishing industries, cause economic hardship, and
    create significant navigation and security hazards. According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM),
    the projects will significantly affect our fishing, the economy, employment, and environmental justice in Rhode
    Island (RWF DEIS, Table 2.3-1). Even overall air quality will deteriorate (Ibid).

    Because wind is intermittent, and neither the technology nor manufacturing ability exists to provide adequate battery
    storage, the grid needs fossil fuel generators ready to supply 100% of electricity needs. These projects will not
    replace a single fossil fuel power plant. Moreover, on-demand cycling from low production to full capacity means
    backup fossil fuel generators will emit more CO2 than they would under a consistent demand scenario. BOEM itself
    has stated that the turbines will have "no measurable influence on climate change" [RWF DEIS, 3.811].

    Most alarming, the turbines interfere with radar and marine navigation systems, disrupting military operations,
    search and rescue, and surveillance. This threatens national security. Multiple federal lawmakers have issued
    warnings about this issue. A 2022 National Academy of Sciences study concluded that offshore wind development
    will create "interference with marine vessel radar, which is a critical instrument for navigation, collision avoidance,
    and use in search and rescue missions." (https://doi.org/10.17226/26430.) A 700 square mile zone off North Carolina
    was recently taken out of consideration by BOEM due to US Navy and Air Force concerns that wind turbines will
    interfere with military operations in the area, including training. The same concerns apply to the North Atlantic
    projects.

    Offshore wind contributes to grid instability, itself a national security vulnerability, and generates cybersecurity
    concerns regarding remote control and maintenance. Multiple entities can control and collect data on wind
    installations remotely, providing more ways to penetrate the system. A hurricane barreling up the east coast, which
    happens with increasing frequency as the earth warms, could not only disable but destroy thousands of turbines,
    leaving a fractured grid and an ocean strewn with huge pieces of debris. Who will bear these costs? Not the energy
    companies who are developing these offshore wind complexes, but American taxpayers.
    Offshore wind is not "green," it is not safe, it is not cost-effective, it will not help climate change, and its impacts on
    marine life and livelihoods are dire. Forcing these projects through an inadequate regulatory framework because the
    tax incentives expire, and the power purchase agreements were negotiated before the environmental impact
    statements, is unacceptable. The turbines will be with us for decades, poisoning our seas and scarring our shorelines,
    a haunting reminder of the folly of prioritizing political expediency over our citizens and our natural resources.

    Offshore wind developments off Rhode Island and Massachusetts will destroy the ocean habitat, decimate marine
    animal populations, cripple ocean-dependent industries, and obliterate the quality of life that proximity to the ocean
    gives residents and visitors. They will also enrich foreign national energy companies at the expense of American
    taxpayers and jeopardize national security, military operations, and maritime safety. Offshore wind complexes will
    raise energy costs and create an enormous environmental liability that will endure until the last turbine falls-- all
    without ever reducing our carbon emissions or taking a single fossil fuel plant offline.

    The devastation these projects will wreak on marine ecosystems, animals, and human lives and livelihoods is
    irreversible. We must not allow these projects to proceed without fully understanding their ramifications.

    Thank you in advance for your consideration of these grave and pressing issues.

    Sincerely,

    Ambassador J. W. Middendorf II,


    62nd Secretary of the Navy

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