Hearing Date Set on Wind Farm Cables

OCEAN CITY – A public hearing is reportedly planned for Mar. 7, when officials from the proposed offshore wind farm project will take public comments on the possible use of about .8 acres of parkland, owned by Ocean City, to run underground cables bringing power to the grid.
The cables would need to run under the 35^th street beach and an area north of the Roosevelt Boulevard bridge, according to an article in the Press of Atlantic City.
Representatives from Ocean Wind will explain the project and take comments at the meeting beginning at 7 p.m., according to the Press. 
Ocean City filed a petition with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to acquire permanent right of way easements for the underground cable to bring the energy into the grid at the site of the former B.L. England power plant in Upper Township. 
The lands are under state Green Acres restrictions and the company may also have to file an application to the Department of Environmental Protection, the Press reported. 
In public meetings, several Ocean City officials have spoken against the proposed project for a variety of reasons, including that they believe the giant turbines 15-miles offshore would create an eye-sore and hurt tourism. 
Public comments will also be accepted two weeks after the meeting by email to info@oceanwind.com or addressed to to Tom Suthard, Orsted Ocean Wind, 600 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 2, Atlantic City and correspondence  should be copied to the Green Acres Program via email at BLSSpubliccomments@dep.nj.gov and include “Ocean Wind” in the subject line or by mail to the DEP Green Acres Program, Bureau of Legal Services and Stewardship, Attn: Ocean Wind Application, 401 E. State Street, 7^th Floor, Mail Code 401-07B, P.O. Box 420, Trenton.