ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 25, 2024
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released final plans to protect endangered North American right whales, of which there are only about 360 left in the world. The agencies said they are trying to find ways to better protect the whales amid a surge of offshore wind farm projects. They plan to look for ways to mitigate any potential adverse impacts of offshore wind projects on the whales and their habitat. The news came about an hour before the companies Equinor and energy giant BP announced they were swapping leases for offshore wind projects on the U.S. East Coast.