Divided by Wind

COURT HOUSE – Cape May County Chamber of Commerce President Vicki Clark April 20 provided the organization’s position on offshore wind.
With three minutes to comment, Clark demonstrated a balancing act, supporting renewable energy and welcoming the potential economic opportunities that would accompany billions of dollars in new coastal infrastructure, while also raising concerns about the potential impact to the existing local economies.
It’s a discussion that has heated up this year. 
Ocean Wind, the furthest along of several wind power projects proposed off New Jersey beaches, envisions 99 turbines, starting 15 miles from the beach. The company, Orsted, based in Denmark, plans to begin construction by 2023 and generate power by the end of 2024.
Local citizen opposition groups formed, while some governments expressed skepticism, including the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners and Ocean City Council, citing the potential impact on the local economy.
Speaking at one of three public meetings presented by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Clark raised those issues. 
Most jobs in Cape May County depend directly or indirectly on tourism or fishing, she pointed out. Tourism, mostly in the form of beach vacations in summer, is a $6.9 billion industry in the county. While fishing is not as big a number, at $300 million each year, it means jobs for a significant number of local families.
However, she said waterfront communities must take reducing carbon emissions seriously, saying the chamber supports green energy initiatives, which are needed for the long-term future for both tourism and fishing.
Environmentalists on Every Side
The meetings were part of the BOEM’s public comment period on the Ocean Wind proposal. That process ended at midnight April 30.
Both those supporting the proposal and those opposed describe themselves as environmentalists, with those against wind power raising concerns about migrating wildlife and supporters arguing that new alternatives to fossil fuel consumption must be found to reduce the outpouring of carbon gas most scientists agree is warming the planet.
The organization Save Our Shoreline NJ argues the turbines will threaten wildlife, including migrating birds and marine mammals.
“Impacts from offshore wind construction and operation raise serious red flags with regards to ecosystem dangers in the air space to the seafloor. There are protected and endangered species in jeopardy,” reads a statement from the organization.
The New Jersey Sierra Club April 26 said in a release it is the wind power critics who may hurt tourism and the environment.
“Their arguments are based on false or specious grounds rather than real facts. They are worried that wind turbines will hurt tourism. However, we never heard from these people when we were fighting the B.L. England plant,” stated Jeff Tittel, then-director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, in a release. He retired effective May 1. 
“Tourists visiting the Jersey Shore care about clean air, renewable energy, and climate change and don’t want a polluting power plant,” Tittel added.
See the full release at the bottom of this article online.
Clean Ocean Action, well known in the area for decades’ worth of volunteer beach sweeps, called for a pause in the environmental assessment of wind power projects. Their concern goes well beyond the South Jersey proposal.
“Clean Ocean Action does not oppose offshore wind, but it must be done right and responsibly and be a model for the country,” reads an April 24 statement from the organization (https://bit.ly/3bcAkvt). 
There are already 400,000 acres approved for offshore wind power development, the organization stated, with an initiative from President Joe Biden’s administration to add another 800,000 acres.
“We must make sure offshore wind development is responsible and protective,” reads the statement. 
Jobs and Power
The Ocean Wind project is expected to cost about $695 million and generate enough electricity to power a half-million homes. Additional projects are planned for the Jersey coast, as part of a plan by Gov. Phil Murphy to ween the state power grid off fossil fuels by 2050.
The turbines will be taller than the tallest building in Atlantic City, with a far wider circumference than the county’s largest Ferris wheels. The power will cost an estimated $1.46 a month more for the average electricity consumer, according to projections by Orsted.
According to Orsted spokesman Gabriel Martinez, the company expects BOEM to issue a record of decision in March 2023, which will explain its decision, describe the alternatives considered, and discuss plans for mitigation and monitoring. 
There are also other considerations, including federal permit guidelines, other development, and final investment decisions by Orsted and Public Service Energy Group (PSEG).
“We are thrilled to continue moving the project forward,” Martinez said, in a prepared statement.
This spring, the Biden administration announced plans to expand offshore wind power along the Atlantic coast, Pacific coast, and the Gulf of Mexico. The announcement also cited progress on Ocean Wind, along with projects in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The White House cited clean energy and good-paying union jobs in the announcement.
Other Jobs on the Line
Fishing industry representatives said the current plan would effectively exclude commercial boats from some of their most important fishing grounds.
“The current process in use by the BOEM identifies wind energy area sites without consideration of their adverse environmental impacts in the original lease selection, on the locations historically rich and economically vital commercial fisheries, or on the communities that support and benefit from those fisheries,” reads a statement from Scot Mackey to BOEM, on behalf of the Garden State Seafood Association (https://bit.ly/3o27mUf). “The only factors even considered in the initial location determination was visibility from shore and an attempt to minimize bird interactions, not the needs of other ocean users, particularly fishermen.”
Orsted said the area will be open to recreational and commercial fishing once construction is completed, but the fishing group said there is not enough room planned between the turbines within the Ocean Wind project zone for commercial fishing boats to safely travel through or work in the area.
“Fisheries are held to significant regulatory restrictions to minimize potential impact. BOEM must develop a similar system to ensure the whales, Atlantic sturgeon, and other marine endangered species continued protection prior to approving this project with possible significant acoustic impacts during construction and operation,” Mackey continues.
Martinez states the company is committed to working with the recreational and commercial fishing industries. That included hundreds of meetings with the local fishing community, he said, and he promised the company would seek to diminish disruption during all phases of development.
“The fishing community is engrained into the fabric of our Jersey Shore, both from an economic and cultural perspective,” he said.
Communication Sought
In reports, Orsted outlined discussions with the fishing industry.
“We believe that good communication is essential to creating understanding between those who provide food for our tables and those who provide electricity for our homes,” reads one of the documents. “While not all conflicts can be resolved through communication alone, open and honest interaction helps to manage conflicts when they arise and identify ways to avoid or mitigate impacts that may occur.”
In her brief comments, Clark made a similar point.
“We believe that there can be coexistence if there is open communication and cooperation and understanding of what is needed by each industry to succeed alongside each other,” she said.
In his statement, however, Mackey said there remains a lack of “transparent information” about the power generation, pricing, and economic impacts of the proposal.
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.
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The New Jersey Sierra Club issued the following release:
Opposition to offshore wind farms in New Jersey is growing. Residents and fishermen who fear the turbines will be visible from shore and will hurt the fishing industry continue to push back against the multiple offshore wind proposals moving forward.
Facebook Group, “Save our shorelines-Stop the wind farms off the coast of NJ” claims that offshore wind farms will cause significant damage to the environment, the fishing community and quality of life.
“There is a group trying to fight offshore wind in New Jersey as it starts to become a reality. Their arguments are based on false or specious grounds rather than real facts. They are worried that wind turbines will hurt tourism. However, we never heard from these people when we were fighting the B.L. England Plant. The wind turbines will hardly be visible even on the clearest days. Meanwhile, a dirty power plant next to Ocean City spewing pollution right into people’s lungs would definitely have impacted tourism,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Tourists visiting the Jersey Shore care about clean air, renewable energy, and climate change and don’t want a polluting power plant. Polls also show that over 70% of people support offshore wind in New Jersey, so people opposing offshore wind could actually hurt tourism in Ocean City.”
Members of the Facebook Group have become increasingly vocal, including core committee member Suzanne Hornick. Now, Ocean City Council President Robert Barr has said that he is opposed to Ocean Wind, the 1,100 MW project being developed off the coast of New Jersey.
“This opposition to offshore wind is more about spin than actual facts. Now Councilman Bob Bar has come out opposing offshore wind. He has no shame. He never opposed the B.L. England plant. He also wanted to bring a pipeline through the Pinelands to keep the plant open so it could continue spewing pollution into Ocean City. If they don’t reduce greenhouse gases with renewable energy, it will hurt Ocean City’s future. They will see more sea-level rise and climate impacts like storm surges and beach erosion,” said Tittel. “The people of Ocean City who are opposing offshore wind are worried about tourism, but they should be more worried about their town’s future as climate impacts get worse.”
The Facebook Group, which is based out of Ocean City, raises concerns about Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), cold pooling, and other hazards that will affect our marine mammals, birds and fisheries. The group includes residents and fishermen who have concerns that the manufacturing and installation of wind farms will not be entirely free of emissions.
“People are wrongly saying that the wind turbines will be hazardous to fisheries. Offshore wind can not only provide power but can also create new habitats for fish. The submerged part of the turbine actually works like an artificial reef. It attracts marine life such as plankton, kelp, and mollusks. They provide new habitats that help fisheries. Companies like Orsted allow fishermen to go fishing near its wind turbines,” said Tittel. “These people are so worried about the offshore wind turbines hurting fisheries and tourism, but they could actually help. People might pay for tours to go out to see the wind farms like they do in Rhode Island and other places.”
According to the Facebook Group’s page, “While you will be able to see these turbines from the beach, boardwalk or your house along the coastline, what you won’t see is the environmental impact caused by the construction, and operation of these turbines in our coastal waters.”
“When we were fighting the B.L England Plant, we never heard from Bob Barr or the people fighting the wind farms. They were silent on stopping the plant which was the biggest source of pollution in this part of South Jersey. They also didn’t work to stop a coal and dirty diesel plant in the area. Instead of more pollution from dirty power plants, we can move forward with offshore wind. It will create thousands of jobs, produce electricity, and prevent blackouts in the summertime,” said Tittel. “We support wind and believe it can and should be done in a manner that protects the environment. The wind farms off our coast will create clean energy, reduce pollution, and even help tourism. Offshore wind can be the engine that drives our state to reach our 100% clean energy goals.”