Offshore wind industry says 'misinformation' from foes is a strong headwind it must fight

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The U.S offshore upwind power manufacture says it needs to conflict backmost against disinformation being dispersed by opponents of upwind farms.

During nan first time of a nationalist offshore upwind convention Tuesday successful New Jersey, which has go crushed zero for vocal, well-organized guidance to specified projects, galore manufacture officials said they are successful a difficult conflict against deliberate falsehoods.

These see frankincense acold unsubstantiated claims that offshore upwind mentation is sidesplitting whales on nan East Coast.

“We cognize it wasn't us, and we person nan investigation to backmost it up,” said Crystal Pruitt, an outer affairs charismatic pinch Atlantic Shores, which plans 2 offshore upwind farms disconnected nan New Jersey coast. “But nan hardest point to do is beryllium a negative.”

She said nan manufacture needs to publically push backmost against disinformation.

“If you're telling maine that nan hum from turbines 10 to 12 miles disconnected nan formation is going to origin maine to spell insane, that is not real, and personification needs to opportunity that,” Pruitt said.

Paulina O’Connor, executive head of nan New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance, said she and others successful nan manufacture person met pinch opponents to springiness them facts astir nan industry.

“I don't deliberation we're getting done to them,” she said. “I don't consciousness for illustration we're having that breakthrough. It’s difficult to foretell what crazy point they’re going to travel up with.”

Last year, amid a spate of whale deaths on nan East Coast, offshore upwind opponents began linking them to study activity to hole nan water level for upwind turbines

But galore national and section agencies opportunity location is no evidence tying offshore upwind to nan deaths of nan whales, galore of which showed signs of having been struck by ships.

Alicia Gene Artessa, head of nan New York Offshore Wind Alliance, likened trying to antagonistic disinformation astir offshore upwind to playing a crippled of whack-a-mole.

“Every clip you consciousness you person immoderate section guidance nether control, they travel up pinch a caller taxable and commencement pumping money into that," she said.

One of nan astir vocal guidance groups, Protect Our Coast NJ, whose members held up anti-offshore upwind signs arsenic they picketed extracurricular nan hallway wherever Tuesday's convention was held, said nan manufacture is nan statement peddling untruths.

“We are appalled by nan gaslighting of our activity without grounds by shills for nan ambiance manufacture who dream to rate successful if offshore upwind becomes a reality,” said Robin Shaffer, nan group's president. “This is simply a lawsuit of accusing our group of nan very point that they themselves are doing, muddying nan waters, dispensing disinformation to nan unwitting public."

The stakes are precocious for an manufacture making uneven advancement toward goals of having astatine slightest 20% of nan nation's energy travel from offshore upwind by 2035.

The American Clean Power Association says location is almost 65 gigawatts of offshore upwind capacity nether improvement successful nan U.S., capable to powerfulness complete 26 cardinal homes.

But respective high-profile projects person been scrapped, including 2 successful New Jersey that Danish upwind elephantine Orsted pulled nan plug on a twelvemonth ago. And a turbine leaf nonaccomplishment astatine nan Vineyard Wind task disconnected Martha's Vineyard this summertime has only reinforced a belief among opponents that offshore upwind is unstable and uneconomical.

Jerry Leeman, CEO of nan New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, decried nan announcement Tuesday that nan U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management chosen 2 developers to build offshore upwind connected 4 lease sites successful nan Gulf of Maine, calling it “a rushed regulatory process” that grounded to return into relationship nan turbine nonaccomplishment astatine Vineyard Wind.

“Vineyard Wind is simply a slow-rolling disaster," he said. “It is now evident that overseas mega-developers and their governmental friends trim corners to bring their flagship task online.”

J. Timmons Roberts, a Brown University interrogator who has studied offshore upwind guidance groups, said nan move has shifted from denying ambiance alteration to trying to discredit solutions to it.

“When I saw nan emergence of these groups successful Rhode Island, I was very upset,” he said. “All nan arguments I'm seeing are sensationalized aliases conscionable outright false,” including claims that upwind farms would really origin c dioxide levels to increase. He added nan manufacture has to do overmuch amended making its lawsuit connected societal media.

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Follow Wayne Parry connected X astatine www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC

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