NMHA's Position Statement on Sustainability Efforts

There are local environmental organizations and community stake holders that are resisting offshore wind development based on narrow and poorly reasoned concerns. NMHA’s Discover, Engage, and Sustain approach inherently relies on scientific methods and rational engineering approaches, and the objections raised by these organizations do not follow that approach.

Rather than wasting time and energy on often emotional issues, everyone needs to focus on the inherent goal of all sustainable energy initiatives, which is the rapid reduction of CO2 emissions.

To coin a phrase: It’s the CO2 Stupid!

Every human action has an impact on the environment. However, there are human actions that focus on improving the lot of humans and nature alike, and there are human actions that do nothing but damage humans and nature. Fossil fuels damage humans and nature, and sustainable energy will massively reduce that damage.

That does not mean that the road to sustainable energy will not have occasional bumps, and everybody needs to be on guard for those bumps. For example, wind turbines may hurt birds, and that requires careful consideration of the use of wind turbines. At this time the harm to birds cannot be completely removed, and is being scientifically studied to ensure that the cure is not worse than the disease. Solutions are being engineered based on reliable and truthful data. These analyses may show that some harm may be done to birds, but that this harm is less than the harm that birds will suffer if we do not transition to sustainable energies and ruin their environment to a point of no return.

Similar issues may occur with Atlantic Coast offshore wind, and when they occur NMHA will fully support the resolution of those issues. However, at present there are fallacious unscientific arguments that offshore wind development is harming whales and fisheries. This sabotage of our transition to sustainable energy by some local stakeholders is strongly condemned by NMHA as unfounded, untruthful, unscientific and unreasonably obstructionist. These arguments are just additional fallacious issues unproductively introduced with regard to sustainable energy, and do not even deserve consideration and dissemination if not based on solid scientific and technical evidence.

NMHA strongly suggests that all stakeholders in the vital transition to sustainable energy, focus on rational, truthful, and scientific analysis in engineering a future that will benefit all, instead of engaging in unproductive obstructionist tactics.

NMHA does not inherently assume the government is right, but before anyone engages in criticism, it is imperative that one has command of the underlying data. In this regard, at the very least, review of the most recent Offshore Wind Environmental Impact Statements is a valid starting point.

Review of such documents makes it clear that offshore wind is carefully studied from all angles and, if additional research is needed, it should rest on those findings rather than imaginary distractions.