Feds Unveil Plan to Grow Wind Power While Sparing Rare Whale

Aerial survey of North Atlantic Right Whales courtesy of New England Aquarium, taken under NEFSC permit #25739

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government has outlined a strategy to try to protect an endangered species of whale while also developing offshore wind power off the East Coast.

President Joe Biden’s administration has made a priority of encouraging offshore wind along the Atlantic coast as the U.S. pursues greater energy independence.

Those waters are also home to the declining North Atlantic right whale, which numbers about 340 in the world.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released a draft plan this month to conserve the whales while also building wind projects.

Local experts recently reported they are still hopeful the population could rebound despite new challenges the whales face. 

BY PATRICK WHITTLE, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS