If fent is a WMD then so are turbines!
US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
51–60 of 585 posts
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#52We don’t need offshore wind or onshore. Wish the US focused more on Solar. Seems to be the smartest path forward.
China understands and is gunning for Nuclear and Solar. Geothermal and wind are nice but too location dependent.
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#53I looked into this a little because I was curious. I guess the ostensible "national security" rationale (which clearly is not the only reason!) for this is that turbines severely degrade the utility of radar surveillance along the coastlines. This is particularly relevant for low-altitude incursions and drones. Now, other large governments (UK) have resolved this in several ways, including the deployment of additiona…
I feel like the defense against drones is denser, sharper turbines.
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#54[flagged]
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#55It's interesting that people are very incredulous of there being a legitimate defense reason for this when we have had unilateral unanswered drone incursions all over Europe and the US. There's obviously some sort of arms race occurring and some of it is public. The world in on the precipice of many technologies advancing at an all too rapid pace. The idea that technology will become tightly regulated isn't inconceiv…
No, Sweden did not ban all offshore wind projects last year.
Is that the strawman framing of my argument that you want to stick with?
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2024/11/11/why-swe...
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#56I looked into this a little because I was curious. I guess the ostensible "national security" rationale (which clearly is not the only reason!) for this is that turbines severely degrade the utility of radar surveillance along the coastlines. This is particularly relevant for low-altitude incursions and drones. Now, other large governments (UK) have resolved this in several ways, including the deployment of additiona…
Result first (kill anything not carbon-based), find rationale later.
Same applies to how this admin forced layoffs at the green energy (hydro + nuclear) behemoth BPA [1] (which was funded entirely by ratepayers, not the federal government) then claimed an energy emergency to keep open coal plants serving the same geographies, coal plants that were already uneconomical and planned for shut down (or re-tooling to gas in the case of TransAlta's plant in WA). [2] Oh and they already re-hired some of the laid off staff at BPA because they overcut.
There is no point in taking these arguments at face value. It's an excuse generated after-the-fact, and in service of one outcome - kill renewable energy.
[1] https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/mar/12/letter-cuts-at-bp...
[2] https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/doe-or...
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#57What the... It seems we crossed into the realm of intentionally doing damage. I'm reminded of threatening tariffs to successfully derail global carbon levy on ship emissions. Meanwhile China runs away with all the clean energy tech (solar, wind, batteries, etc, etc.) while we hold to fossil fuels to save less than 200,000 jobs.
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> China is by far the world's biggest polluter, by a factor of 2-3x that of the US so let's not paint them as some beacon of environmental stewardship.
China's leading the planet in development and deployment of renewable energy tech.
What proportion of China's emissions are a consequence of The West's externalizing the manufacturing of what it consumes?
At least with China in the driver's seat it looks like the planet's manufacturing needs will actually get cleaned up. Meanwhile the US will keep pearl clutching as it fades into irrelevance and Zimbabwean hyperinflation.
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#58What the... It seems we crossed into the realm of intentionally doing damage. I'm reminded of threatening tariffs to successfully derail global carbon levy on ship emissions. Meanwhile China runs away with all the clean energy tech (solar, wind, batteries, etc, etc.) while we hold to fossil fuels to save less than 200,000 jobs.
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> Any investment by China is clearly because they found a way to profit from it
An investment that doesn't make a profit is kinda pointless. Business 101.
> Your neighbor thinks he's saving the world filling his roof with cheap Chinese solar panels
And he's right. God bless him for having more sense than you.
> ignoring the toxic chemicals and human cost that went into manufacturing it
Yeah no toxic chemicals or human cost whatsoever went into digging up your coal and gasoline.
Tell us honestly: why do you gain by lying?
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#59I looked into this a little because I was curious. I guess the ostensible "national security" rationale (which clearly is not the only reason!) for this is that turbines severely degrade the utility of radar surveillance along the coastlines. This is particularly relevant for low-altitude incursions and drones. Now, other large governments (UK) have resolved this in several ways, including the deployment of additiona…
Here in Sweden a bunch of offshore wind farm project and even residential PV installations are blocked by the military for unspecified reasons that everyone assumes is that it blocks radar and other signal intelligence.
Even though you can partially work around the issue with better onshore equipment or just placing the stuff on the other side of the interfering equipment it is still a step down from not having any interference in the first place. Especially if you want to keep your listening equipment secret.
Re: US blocks all offshore wind construction, says reason is classified
#60What the... It seems we crossed into the realm of intentionally doing damage. I'm reminded of threatening tariffs to successfully derail global carbon levy on ship emissions. Meanwhile China runs away with all the clean energy tech (solar, wind, batteries, etc, etc.) while we hold to fossil fuels to save less than 200,000 jobs.
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Now do per capita emissions and consider where 90% of anything you buy is manufactured. The world launders its manufacturing emissions through China.