We know climate change tops the White House agenda, but it’s still depressing to see it supersede even national defense.
Witness how the Department of the Interior rolled over Pentagon warnings that offshore wind installations in the mid-Atlantic could interfere with military training. [emphasis, links added]
President Biden has set a goal of generating 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. Waters off the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware are prime real estate for wind farms because they are relatively shallow.
But they are also training grounds for the Navy and Air Force, including North Carolina’s Dare County bombing range.
Offshore wind turbines three times the height of the Statue of Liberty could interfere with training and radar.
As the Energy Department explains, “If not mitigated, such wind development can cause potential interference for radar systems involved in air traffic control, weather forecasting, homeland security, and national defense missions.”
National defense appears to have been a fifth or sixth thought for Interior, which is in charge of offshore wind leases in federal waters.
Interior last November identified six potential leasing areas after consulting with the fishing industries, environmental groups, shippers, the wind lobby, and states in the region.
Interior said it considered input from these “stakeholders” as well as state and local renewable-energy mandates and “information on domestic and global offshore wind market and technological trends.”
Notice who was missing: the Pentagon.
Four of the six potential lease areas were flagged by the Defense Department as “highly problematic” on a map dated last Oct. 6 that was published by Bloomberg News.
The Interior lease proposal from November says that it doesn’t “reflect a final assessment of the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding the compatibility of the proposed [wind energy areas] with DOD needs.”
But why didn’t Interior consider the Pentagon’s concerns before issuing its proposal?
It’s possible the military could modify exercises and operations to accommodate wind farms, but this shouldn’t be necessary.
Power generated by offshore wind isn’t needed to keep U.S. lights on. The only purpose the installations would serve is to help Mr. Biden, states, and utilities meet their green energy goals.
Offshore wind is three times more expensive than onshore wind or gas power and could make the electric grid less reliable.
But the Biden Administration’s climate agenda won’t surrender to energy reality or national defense.
Read more at WSJ
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