a string of dead whales washing up on New Jersey and New York beaches in recent months has sparked public and political concern and been seized upon by opponents of offshore wind development who speculate that work related to the industry is harming the giant creatures but scientists have loudly rejected that assertion and point to evidence indicating that ships Remain the largest threat to Wales just yesterday State Environmental authorities reiterated that stance still Republican lawmakers and anti-win groups have persisted in calling for when work to stop until more research on the well deaths is done today in Wildwood GOP Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith hosted a field hearing on the topic that Drew hundreds to listen Ted Goldberg is at the hearing today Ted Raven more than 400 people came to Wildwood today to be a part of this hearing that brought a team of witnesses and two of New Jersey's Republican Congressman Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew they outlined their issues with New Jersey's ongoing development of offshore wind and any link with dead whales washing up on New Jersey's shorts van Drew has called for Congress to investigate any possible connection between offshore surveys and environmental damage Smith says there wasn't enough time to properly vet the equipment and techniques used to do those surveys this is very shoddy what they're doing putting our entire ocean at grave risk and I love the ocean I know you love the ocean and people in New Jersey love it there has to be a serious and very comprehensive look at all of these issues that we're bringing out and will bring out in this hearing marine life is being placed at grave risk without scientific due diligence monitoring and protection to ensure the ocean survive saves this massive industrialization indeed the ocean and the coast will be vastly transformed and industrialized and the public would still likely be in the dark if it weren't for the outrageously grim and tragic number of whale and dolphin deaths if the noise is loud enough it can directly damage their hearing organs a mother and calf could be swimming along they communicate by sound not by sight and so if they encounter noise levels that override their Communications then the calf gets separated and and need I say more so because offshore wind companies in the bottom Administration refuse to share the facts with the American people and I'll also say the Murphy Administration Congress must do its job people at the hearing expressed other concerns about offshore wind and argued that there hasn't been enough transparency developers want to build thousands of Eiffel Tower size turbines that will ride our Horizons for decades despite the gravity of this undertaking the Bureau of ocean Energy Management has engaged in a rushed and sloppy project at a sloppy approval process vessel navigation including U.S Navy ships Merchant ships and search and rescue operations again great kudos to Ms lap for bringing all of this out so well including operations by the Coast Guard they do about a thousand surgeon rescues both North and South Jersey a year their Radars will be compromised there were also complaints about the company orstead not joining this meeting orsted is the company that owns the rights to New Jersey's first offshore wind farm and they told us in a statement that they've attended 29 other public meetings over the last four years thank you