characterization surveys could potentially cause mortality of whales . There are no specific links between recent large whale mortalities and currently ongoing surveys .” ( See
Frequent Questions — Offshore Wind and Whales .) Whether offshore wind surveying activities in the GoM will generate any more damaging vibrations than oil and gas survey activities that have been carried out for decades in the GoM seems unlikely , but certainly marine mammals will be harassed in the process of future sonar surveys . Presumably the permitting process for such surveys will permit this harassment to continue as the price to be paid for moving to renewable energy . The long-term damage to everdiminishing marine mammal species remains to be seen . At least for one of the most endangered species , BOEM asserts that it has accounted for migratory patterns of right whales by avoiding WEAs off Florida ’ s west coast . the GoM have also begun to benefit and are starting to construct support , installation , and cable-laying vessels . They also played an important role in building the first offshore wind farm in the United States : the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island state waters . We expect onshore support and manufacturing facilities along the Gulf Coast will also blossom with the advent of OSW construction in the GoM .
BENEFITS On the positive side , many states see the benefits of OSW development by creating new ports for the support and installation of OSW projects , including turbine manufacturing . The Climate Action Plan adopted by Louisiana projects that 4,470 construction and 150 operations jobs will be created from one offshore wind farm alone . Shipyards in
Conclusion Finally , we conclude that , despite the aforementioned challenges and the unintended marine environmental consequences of OSW structures , offshore wind is definitely coming to the GoM , and with it new jobs and continuously replenishing clean energy to both Texas and Louisiana . p – 2023 BLANK ROME LLP
This article was first published in Texas Lawyer on February 3 , 2023 .
Reprinted with permission from Texas Lawyer © 2023 ALM Media Properties , LLC . All rights reserved . Further duplication without permission is prohibited , contact 877.257.3382 or
reprints @ alm . com .
We invite our readers to dive into our archive of Mainbrace newsletters and maritime development advisories , as well as keep abeam with all of our current and upcoming analyses on trending maritime topics and legislation , in our Safe Passage blog .
safepassage . blankrome . com
blankrome . com / maritime
MAINBRACE • 8