US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to examine the potential negative impacts of offshore wind farms, Bloomberg reports.
According to Bloomberg, HHS tasked the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) with researching the effects of offshore wind projects on fishing businesses. Kennedy has met with NIOSH director John Howard and identified experts for consultation.
The US Surgeon General’s office is also involved. HHS leaders, before the government shutdown, aimed to complete the work within a few months. The review includes the electromagnetic frequency from offshore wind subsea cables, according to Bloomberg.
This directive is part of a broader review of offshore wind development. As reported by offshoreWIND.biz in September, the White House wanted HHS to help revise offshore wind permits.
President Donald Trump has ordered multiple federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce, to join an “inter-departmental coalition” assessing the sector. Kennedy mentioned these efforts during an August cabinet meeting, highlighting concerns about fish and whale populations.
The White House campaign has delayed several major projects. Construction of Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island, about 80% complete, was halted in August over national-security concerns. A federal judge later allowed work to resume.
Earlier, the Interior Department froze Equinor’s Empire Wind development off New York before reinstating it following an agreement between Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Other East Coast projects remain under review, including US Wind’s 1.7 GW offshore wind farm planned in federal waters off Maryland, for which the Trump administration has asked a federal court to reconsider its Construction and Operation Plan (COP) approval.
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