Gusts of activity underway by friends and foes of offshore wind energy projects
Supporters of offshore wind energy projects in New Jersey and New York are trading blows with opponents in some shore towns who say vacationers and local residents don't want to see turbines filling the ocean horizon
LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Government supporters of offshore wind energy projects in New Jersey and New York are trading blows with opponents in some shore towns who say many vacationers and local residents don't want to see turbines filling the ocean horizon.
Eight Jersey Shore beach towns wrote to state utility regulators Wednesday, saying one wind farm proposal will be vastly more expensive than projected, and will cost tourism-driven jobs and economic activity.
Their move came on the same day that federal energy regulators approved new rules to streamline the application and approval processes for offshore wind farms, and also the day that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued supply chain and logistics proposals to help her state's offshore wind industry. Hochul's move came days after three New York projects were scrapped because the companies and state regulators couldn't agree on the financial terms.
Shore towns spanning much of New Jersey's 127-mile coastline wrote to the state's Board of Public Utilities, saying the proposed Atlantic Shores wind farm will be costlier than originally proposed, particularly if the developers are allowed to re-bid it.
An economic analysis sent by Long Beach Township, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Barnegat Light, Surf City, Harvey Cedars, Brigantine, and Ventnor predicts reduced visitation to the Jersey Shore by people who don't want to see windmills on the horizon could cost Ocean County alone more than $668 million in economic losses.
“The Atlantic Shores project will
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