The hypocrisy of the Biden administration knows no bounds. Just this week, Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden slammed the Biden administration for targeting his state’s lobster industry with eco-regulations while ignoring the environmental impacts of offshore wind projects.
According to Golden, the federal government has held Maine lobstermen to an unfair standard over their impacts on the endangered North Atlantic right whale species compared to how it has treated offshore wind developers and other ocean-based industries.
The administration’s actions were aimed at appeasing environmental groups that have similarly targeted lobstermen. Federal agencies have attempted to crack down on Maine’s lobster fishery despite scant evidence of whale impacts.
Lobster industry groups have pointed to federal data that shows that there has never been a recorded right whale death caused by lobster fishing equipment in Maine, and the last recorded whale entanglement in fishing gear came more than two decades ago.
The rules, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) first rolled out in May 2022, with more set for 2024 and 2030, would threaten thousands of blue-collar jobs.
Maine’s lobster industry provides the U.S. with about 90% of the nation’s lobster supply, making the industry a top economic driver in the state and boosting other related industries as well.
At the same time, the government in recent months has repeatedly defended offshore wind projects in the face of an unprecedented uptick in whale deaths and widespread calls for a moratorium on offshore wind development until the deaths are further studied.
More than 20 whale deaths have been recorded along the East Coast since December, with most coming in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, where large wind projects are under development.
The Biden administration’s hypocrisy is glaring. It’s time to call them out for their double standard and protect American jobs.