U.S. Comptroller Will Investigate Offshore Wind Development

June 16, 2023 | newjerseyglobe.com

Photo Credit:WikimediaImages (from Pixabay)

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal agency tasked with audits and investigations, informed Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) yesterday (6/15), that it will open an investigation into the impacts of wind development off the Jersey Shore.

In the early months of this year, an unusual number of dead whales washed up along the shore, a phenomenon which many Republican politicians blamed on the ongoing construction of wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean.

Responding to the spate of deaths, Smith successfully amended a House bill in March to require the GAO to investigate, but while the bill passed the GOP-led House, it stands no chance of passing the Senate. Smith forged ahead by joining with several House colleagues, among them Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), to directly petition the U.S. Comptroller – a request that the Comptroller, who leads the GAO, evidently took seriously.

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NJ SEED: In what is hoped to be an objective investigation by the GAO could resolve the question about wind farm installations causing the unusual number of dead whales and dolphins washing up on the Jersey shore.