In a letter to U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in the spring of 2023, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said it would “review matters relating to the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development” in the northern Atlantic area between Maine and New Jersey. The independent watchdog agency of Congress said the review would include impacts on “infrastructure and vessel traffic,” as well as impacts on the environment, tourism and the local fishing industry.
Rep. Smith, whose district includes parts of the Jersey Shore, requested the probe in May of 2023, along with fellow Republicans Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, Bruce Westerman of Arizona and Andy Harris of Maryland. “This aggressive, independent investigation into the ocean-altering impacts of the 3,400 offshore wind turbines slated for the Jersey Shore will help address the wide-ranging questions and concerns that the Biden Administration and Governor Murphy continue to dismiss as they plow full steam ahead with this unprecedented offshore wind industrialization of our shore,” Smith told the Associated Press at the time, adding “It is absolutely critical that New Jersey residents understand all the impacts of these offshore wind projects, which will permanently transform our marine environment and seascape and could put our tourism-drive economy at grave risk, before it’s too late.”
In a recent bulletin issued to constituents in New Jersey’ 4th Congressional District, Rep. Smith noted that he expects the GAO report to be completed very soon. “The independent investigation I secured (GAO) is examining these projects and their impact on the environment commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, national security and radar navigation,” Rep. Smith said in the bulletin, adding “The comprehensive investigation, which remains ongoing, is expected to be completed this fall.
