Statement AI Analysis

Statement AI Summary:

Mr. Smith (R-NJ) offers an amendment requiring the Secretary of Defense to certify that offshore wind projects in the North/Mid-Atlantic will not degrade or interfere with radar relied on by commercial and military aviation or space activities. He cites interagency, GAO, and National Academy of Sciences findings that radar interference mitigation is inadequate, argues this creates safety and national defense risks, and urges due diligence and certification before proceeding.

Statement AI Bias Category on Environment and Climate Change:

Right-Leaning

Bias of All Statements by Chris Smith on Environment and Climate Change:

Statement AI Categories:

Environment and Climate Change, Infrastructure and Transportation, Energy Policy, National Security and Counterterrorism, Science and Research Policy, Public Safety and Emergency Services, Congressional Procedure

Date:

09-09-2025

Pages In PDF Link That Have Statement:

H3915-H4158

Congressional Record PDF:

Actual Statement Made In Congress:

If the member made multiple statements on that day, they were analyzed and accumulated together.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, my amendment, similar to a previous amendment that I offered to the FAA reauthorization which passed the House in July 2023, requires the Secretary of Defense or his designee to certify that offshore wind turbine projects in the North Atlantic and mid-Atlantic planning areas will ``not weaken, degrade, interfere with, or nullify the performance and capabilities of radar relied upon by commercial aviation, military aviation, space launch vehicles, or other commercial space entities.'' Mr. Chair, many of us are deeply concerned over the safety, efficacy, and, likely, detrimental environmental impact of embedding ocean wind turbines, each the size of the Chrysler Building in New York City--that is how big they are--off our coast. This amendment is not that. It focused exclusively on the serious, well-founded concerns that offshore wind turbines will interfere with radar capabilities and, as a consequence, create a dangerous and potentially catastrophic impact on both military and commercial aviation activities. As far back as 2016, Mr. Chair, the Federal Interagency Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation Strategy stated, in part: ``Wind development located within the line of sight of radar systems can cause clutter and interference, which at some radars has resulted in significant performance degradation. . . . [T]he probability for wind development to present conflicts with radar missions related to air traffic control, weather forecasting, homeland security, and national defense is also likely to increase.'' Many years later, where is the mitigation? I have asked that question repeatedly. It is nowhere to be found. Matter of fact, a 2022 comprehensive study on offshore wind development by the National Academy of Sciences found wind turbine generation mitigation techniques have not been substantially investigated, implemented, matured, or deployed. It is not there. It is a hope, a wish, but it is not there. That puts people in airplanes, people in aviation, military and civilian, at grave risk. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining. Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, let me just point out to my colleagues that the GAO looked at this at our request and found, again, that wind turbines reduced the performance of radar systems used for defense and maritime navigation and safety in several ways, and then they enumerated them. There have been a number of other studies that have suggested that this is a problem. What does this amendment do? It says that there needs to be the due diligence that was lacking. I asked the head of BOEM, Ms. Klein, at a hearing whether or not she had looked at this problem of the military and radar being disrupted. She didn't have a clue. It is in an open record that was held by the committee. I was shocked at it, frankly, but she didn't have any idea. We asked her staff to get back to us. They never did. Why don't you want to have the due diligence that comes with a certification by the Secretary of Defense or his designee that this is a problem? Other countries, Mr. Chair, like Sweden and others, have delayed or ended their offshore wind because of fears of radar interference. Sweden just recently did it. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris).

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