Middletown Township Committee Calls To Halt Wind Turbine Construction

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — At their Monday night meeting, the Middletown Township Committee passed a unanimous resolution calling for a halt to wind turbine construction off the Jersey Shore — until it can be determined what is causing the unusual increase in whale deaths, among other reasons.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry said he is also concerned how visible the turbines would be from Sandy Hook, and what effects they would have on the Belford fishing community.

“In addition to protecting our local marine life and commercial fishing industry, the Township Committee and I want to ensure that the Bayshore and Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook are not impacted by the potential effects and visibility of these wind turbines,” said Perry Tuesday.

"There are serious concerns with offshore wind energy, such as the recent increase in whale deaths, that have not been adequately addressed," said the Middletown Township Committee in a statement. "Wind farms could also have a negative impact on the commercial fishing industry's vital offshore fishing grounds as well as New Jersey's multi-billion tourism industry."

More than a dozen Jersey Shore mayors, from Pt. Pleasant Beach to Wildwood — nearly all of which have had whales wash up on their beaches this winter, or nearby — are calling for a halt on wind turbine construction.

Just this week the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a third solicitation of offshore wind projects, meaning a whole new set of firms can bid to build more turbines off New York/New Jersey.

The Middletown Township Committee is all Republican. New Jersey's only two Republican Congressmen, Rep. Chris Smith (who represents Middletown) and South Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew also want a halt on wind turbine construction. Middletown Assemblyman Gerry Scharfengerger is calling for a ban, too:

So far, no elected Democrat in the state has joined calls for a pause to wind turbine construction.

On Feb. 22, a spokesperson for Gov. Phil Murphy said the federal government has found no evidence linking the increased whale deaths to wind turbine construction, or sonar mapping of the ocean floor.

In fact, the media spokesperson called such concerns "disinformation."

“It is precisely this spread of disinformation that has made the incorporation of climate change education into our school curricula so critical,” the Murphy spokesman told NJ.com two weeks ago.

“In other words, we don’t have the evidence,” said Murphy. “The feds are taking the lead on this. We take this very seriously, obviously. But in the absence of evidence that this is the cause of this, we’re gonna continue to go on two tracks.”

Murphy is pushing a plan to build thousands of acres of wind farms off New Jersey, with the goal of turning the Atlantic Ocean off the Jersey Shore into the largest wind farm in the world, an idea backed by President Joe Biden. Murphy wants to create 11 GW of offshore wind energy in New Jersey by 2040, which he says could power 3.2 million homes with wind power.

In total, there will be 31 offshore wind farms, but each of those farms will consist of hundreds or thousands of acres each. In total, the Department of the Interior plans to lease more than 488,000 acres off the Jersey Shore for wind energy development. Read: NJ's Offshore Wind Farms Grow To 9; Firms Bid $4B To Operate (March 2022)

The wind turbines will be the closest to shore off Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island, where they will be about 10 miles out. They will be about 15 miles off Atlantic City. They will be seen from the shoreline on very clear days, as you can see here.

The turbines will connect to New York/New Jersey's power grid using high-voltage electrical connections that run under the ocean floor. One of those connection lines will be just north of Middletown in South Amboy. Former South Amboy Coal Plant May Become Wind Energy Hub (Sept. 2021)

Clean Ocean Action director Cindy Zipf is leading the call for a halt the wind turbines.

“The scale, scope, magnitude and speed of the proposed 31 offshore wind powerplants are unprecedented and reckless," she said this week. "We must first understand the potential impacts so we can ensure the protection of marine life and the ocean, which is why Clean Ocean Action is calling for a comprehensive, scientific, independent, peer-reviewed pilot study. I’m grateful to Mayor Perry and the Middletown Township Committee."

Massive Offshore Wind Farms Coming To The Jersey Shore (2021)