Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Van Drew slammed the Biden administration for its continual lack of transparency with the American people - this time about the correlation of offshore wind development and the death of endangered whales. The following statement comes after the public release of an internal letter from 2022, addressed to Brian Hooker, the lead biologist of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) from Sean Hayes, the Chief of Protected Species at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding the decades long impact offshore wind will have on North Atlantic right whales.

"To say I am surprised that the Biden administration is hiding the truth from the American people yet again, would be a lie. This letter, which only came to light through a Freedom of Information Act request, contains critical information that this administration has failed to acknowledge and purposely ignored in order to further their Green New Deal Agenda without debate or opposition. And the mainstream media is helping them do it," said Congressman Van Drew. "Just this week, the New York Times put out an article alleging that online shopping was partially to blame for the over 20 whale deaths in the past three months, saying it's because of increased cargo traffic. This is a lie. A link in their own article showed that cargo ship traffic in the region from November to December of 2022 actually DECREASED by 15%.

"Hearings are critical. If the federal government and these offshore wind companies have nothing to hide, then prove it. They must prove that the development of these projects will have no effect on the environment, which is hard to believe following the death of over a dozen whales in the Northeast region where surveying is currently taking place. It is also hard to believe when their own scientists have been wholly ignored when attempting to highlight concerns about these projects and their effect on endangered whale species. They refuse to acknowledge that their plan to 'save the world' through alternative energy sources will have detrimental and catastrophic effects on our environment and marine animals. But, as long as these offshore wind companies make their profits under the guise of stopping climate change, I guess it doesn't matter to this administration. Accountability is coming."

Congressman Van Drew will be holding a local hearing on the development of these offshore wind turbines on March 16th at the Wildwood Convention Center.