COURT HOUSE – In a settlement reached in Superior Court, Aug. 15, Cape May County agreed to issue road permits to Ørsted for investigative work related to the company’s preferred path for transmission cables from its Ocean Wind I wind farm to a grid junction point at Beesley’s Point, in Upper Township.
Ocean Wind I is barred from beginning the work under the permits until Sept. 11 in order to minimize disruption of the summer tourist season.
Another portion of the litigation involves the recording of easements across county land. The day after the consent agreement on road permits was issued by the court, Cape May County filed an appeal of a Superior Court ruling, ordering the recording of the easements approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
In an announcement of the appeal, Michael Donohue, an attorney representing the county, said, “The Board of Commissioners has determined that if we fight in the courts and in the court of public opinion, we have some chance to make changes to these projects or halt them before they damage our environment and economy.”
Ocean Wind I has gone on record in its original complaint to the court, saying the county’s failure to issue the permit has “already delayed the start of project construction.”
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
