Within the past month, an unprecedented number of deceased whales have washed up on the New Jersey, New York, and other Eastern state shorelines. Local environmental groups are calling on federal officials to investigate offshore wind activities as a potential cause of the whale deaths and to halt any further action until an investigation is complete. Other groups say that the upward trend in whale deaths began long before offshore wind activities and that there is no connection between the whale deaths and offshore wind development. Indeed, since 2017 there has been a documented increased number of whale deaths along the Eastern seaboard. In light of current environmental concerns, offshore wind developers should be cognizant of the potential impacts of offshore wind development on marine life and familiar with federal legislation governing these aquatic species, namely the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Continue reading >