I am writing to you both in strong opposition to OffShore Wind (OSW) because I am a resident of Watertown with a house in Westport.

Why am I writing now?

Because a baby Humback Whale washed up on East Beach last week and there is strong reason to believe it was the result of deafening due to OSW activities. Please have a look at this attached video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9S9leZIozs).

This event is pivotal for me. I don't have time to walk around with a sign or create videos like this but I am 100 percent aligned with this movement.  I do, however, have time to share my opinion with you both.

What's the beef?

OSW is not "green", as advertised.  Anyone who owns a boat on salt water or a house near salt water understands the tremendous maintenance required to maintain electro-mechanical devices in such a hostile environment. There are moving parts in the turbines and in the cooling pumps which are subject to corrosion, floral blockages and other disruptions. Furthermore, they are subject to lightning strikes and severe storms. It is incredibly hard to imagine that they will add net-positive cashflows at competitive energy prices. I predict that they will end up in disrepair and blight when the operators can't operate them at a profit.

They are owned and operated by foreign interests so they will not contribute to energy independence.

They require substations on land to convert the power from DC to AC, substations with additional maintenance requirements. And they require running power lines over or under land to connect with the grid — laying these power lines will be costly and disruptive. And there is no shoreline community who wants to look at over-land towers and power lines in their landscape.

And then there is the impact to the whales and the ecology of the ledges. The process of surveying and installing these windmills is deafening and killing whales — a disproportionate number of whales have washed ashore since activities began. And it shouldn't make a difference but many of the washed-up whales are endangered.

But that's not all, the cooling systems return hot water back into the ocean ... on the ledge where ocean life is most abundant. And where we catch fish for food and sport. We are just beginning to understand the impact of ocean temperature change but a one to two-degree difference in average temperature seems to have had a negative impact on the lobster fishery in Buzzards Bay. What can we expect from a continuous, high-volume flow 90-degree water?

Clearly, "the train has left the station" and OSW will be difficult to stop but I urge you to stop it. Stop it now before it kills any more whales. Stop it now before it damages anymore ledge. Stop it now because we can see the impact and predict the future.

David H Sprogis

Watertown, MA