The environmental group Clean Ocean Action held a public forum in Long Branch, saying it was providing citizens with an opportunity to comment on federal plans for six offshore wind lease areas off the New York and New Jersey coasts.

Claiming that the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is trying to “speed up a development process that is already advancing at a recklessly fast pace,” the nonprofit organized the Feb. 20 hearing because it says residents were not given enough time to digest and respond to the bureau’s 1,400-page draft environmental impact statement.

The bureau released the impact statement on Jan. 12, giving the public 45 days for comment; that comment is due by Monday, Feb. 26. According to Clean Ocean Action Executive Director Cindy Zipf, the federal agency also is not providing the public with a “traditional” public forum for reaction to the report.

The draft impact statement is the first time that BOEM has combined six separate lease areas into one environmental impact study. The 488,000-acre area encompassing the six projects is known as the New York Bight. 

In a statement, Clean Ocean Action says it is “not opposed to responsible and reasonable offshore wind development that supports and sustains a healthy ocean.” But the organization claims that federal agencies are moving too fast to allow for consideration of potential negative impacts.

It also argues that the 1,400-plus page impact statement requires more time for public review than the government is allowing. The group is urging the public to demand a 90-day extension.

The Long Branch forum was broadcast on YouTube, where a recording remains available to the public. The nonprofit had a court reporter present to take down public comment for eventual forwarding to the BOEM.

Many of the concerns expressed by members of the public at the forum were not new; they were heard at public comment hearings for Orsted and Atlantic Shores wind farm projects.

Jacqueline Walling, who is a member of a family engaged in commercial fishing, raised concerns over interruption of navigation and harm to habitats that support commercial fishing.

Gregory Cudnik, a member of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council advisory board, said, “The speed of development is outpacing the speed of science.” He, like Walling, spoke of important fishing locations disrupted by being included in lease areas.

Brick resident Jim Hutchinson said he had researched studies of European wind farms showing a significant negative impact on flounder, which he said is an essential fish for New Jersey fisheries.

Other residents expressed worries about how the offshore wind initiative will be funded and what the impact will be on energy bills.

Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.