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US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the potential negative impacts of offshore wind farms, Bloomberg has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to Bloomberg’s report , HHS tasked the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in late summer with preparing research on how offshore wind projects could affect fishing businesses and related activities. Kennedy has met with NIOSH director John Howard about the assignment and identified experts for the agency to consult, the sources said.
The US Surgeon General’s office is also involved, and HHS leaders, before the federal government shutdown, had aimed to complete the work within a few months. One of the areas under review is the electromagnetic frequency generated by offshore wind subsea cables, according to one of the people cited by Bloomberg.
The directive marks another step in the administration’s wider review of offshore wind development. As reported by offshoreWIND.biz in September, the White House had sought to involve HHS in a broader initiative to revise offshore wind permits.
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President Donald Trump has ordered multiple federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Energy, Defense and Commerce, to participate in a coordinated “inter-departmental coalition” assessing the sector. During an August cabinet meeting, Kennedy said agencies were “working together on this issue,” referencing concerns about potential effects on fish and whale populations.