
Westport Put on Blast? Trump Links Wind Energy to Whale Deaths in New England
FOX 5 Washington DC via YouTube
First, let me say that I am as far from political as they come and rarely ever speak about it.
However, in light of a recent presidential speech that may have hinted at local ties, I find myself suddenly intrigued and curious.
On Monday, during his inauguration festivities, President Donald Trump addressed the nation about his future plans in office. He spoke strongly against the use of wind energy and referenced a series of recent events that have occurred in New England, leaving me wondering: was he talking about Westport?
What are the chances? He not only spoke to the nation but to the world about a small town right here on the SouthCoast, a town I grew up in and once called home.
Here’s the short version of the televised address: Trump criticized wind energy, claiming it harms property values, ruins landscapes, and has negative environmental impacts. While wind energy might sound like an environmentally cleaner alternative, Trump argued otherwise.
“Big, ugly windmills ruin your neighborhood. If you have a house that's near a windmill, your house is worth less than half,” he said.

He also connected wind turbines to a rise in whale deaths in New England. Though he didn’t name specific locations, I can’t help but think he might have been referring to the coast of Westport.
“Did you see up in New England with the whales what's happening? They only had two whales killed in about 14 years – last year and the year before they had 28. So if you're into whales, you don't want windmills, either.”
(Editor's Note: Since NOAA began tracking an "Unusual Mortality Event" for humpback whales in 2016 – which has not been formally linked to offshore wind – there have been 28 whale deaths in Massachusetts and another 26 offshore. Of those 54 deaths, only a total of 19 were in the past two years. NOAA said: "Of the whales examined (approximately 90), about 40 percent had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement. A portion of the whales have shown evidence of pre-mortem vessel strike; however, this finding is not consistent across all whales examined. More research is needed.")
Westport has indeed seen a concerning number of whale strandings over the past few years. On Halloween last year, a deceased humpback whale washed ashore near Elephant Rock and was buried on the beach. Another whale was found in the same area just before the New Year.
Call it coincidence or call it what it is, but the assumption that President Trump was alluding to Westport is both intriguing and frustrating. Politics aside, his remarks don’t quite reflect the essence of the town. Westport is so much more than its coastline and recent whale strandings.
READ MORE: Hillary Clinton Shouted Out New Bedford in 2016 DNC Speech
Still, the idea that a small SouthCoast town may have been indirectly mentioned on a national stage is fascinating in itself. Whether it was intentional or not, it certainly got me thinking about the intersection of politics and the place I once called home.
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