RFK Jr. Is Going After Trump’s Mortal Enemy: Wind Farms

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Trump-appointed well being czar and MAHA figurehead, has promised to shake up American healthcare. And boy is he shaking it up. To this point, Kennedy has flouted all kinds of longstanding precedents, modified crucial well being protocols (typically for the more serious), and fired a lot of people that appear to have been doing actually vital work. Most perturbing to many longtime well being professionals, Kennedy appears to be ignoring most of the most urgent threats to People’ well being (you recognize, stuff like Covid-19 and the cost of health insurance) and, as a substitute, goes after a slew of purported enemies that, in some instances, might not be that huge of a priority and, in different instances, are issues extensively believed to be helpful to tens of millions of People. Kennedy’s enemies record has included stuff like 5G, vaccines, Tylenol and, now, offshore wind farms.

It seems that the HHS head has a brand new preoccupation. He might not be tilting at windmills however he does seem like scowling at wind farms (did you see what I did there?). Bloomberg reports that Kennedy’s company is now investigating whether or not wind farms do…one thing dangerous…to stuff…or one thing. The outlet writes:

In late summer season, HHS instructed CDC’s Nationwide Institute for Occupational Security and Well being to organize analysis about wind farms’ influence on fishing companies, in line with the individuals, who spoke on situation of anonymity to explain personal conversations…Among the many offshore wind well being impacts that HHS workers have investigated is the electrical magnetic frequency generated from undersea cables used to attach energy from the machines to the electrical grid, one of many individuals mentioned. Wind proponents say they aren’t dangerous.

Sure, a resurgence of measles cases in America is, apparently, not that big of a deal however, in line with our new well being chief, synthetic islands filled with generators which are positioned in the midst of the ocean might in actual fact be a big menace to our collective properly being. Snark apart, there may be some scientific interest in whether or not wind farms might trigger well being issues for individuals who dwell of their proximity, however these investigations haven’t revealed something notably surprising. One study says that individuals who dwell or work subsequent to wind generators might report “decreased high quality of life, annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, headache, nervousness, melancholy, and cognitive dysfunction”—a takeaway that the majority of us most likely might have assumed with none type of outdoors corroboration.

It’s value noting—as Bloomberg does—that President Trump hates wind farms. He has typically verbally excoriated them, calling them “so pathetic and so bad” and accusing them of “driving the whales crazy.” Throughout his most up-to-date time period in workplace, his administration has made substantial efforts to quell offshore wind business initiatives. Is there a correlation right here between the President’s animosity and Kennedy’s new probe? Who can actually say?

Gizmodo reached out to the HHS and the White Home for remark, and can replace this put up if we get a response.