Locals Push Back Against Offshore Wind In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Yet another public hearing was held regarding the cable proposed to run under Green Acres land, and Ocean City residents show no signs of backing down.

The Monday night hearing, held over Zoom after being rescheduled from in-person due to weather, signaled that the fight between Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean City is far from over.

The cable that would connect the offshore wind energy to the power grid on land has been a major source of contention between the parties for a long time, as Ocean City residents and officials have repeatedly expressed their opposition to tearing up their beach lots.

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“We don’t want this here in any way, shape or form,” said resident Suzanne Hornick, one of the leaders in opposing offshore wind in Ocean City as part of Protect Our Coast NJ, according to the Associated Press.

She specifically cited “concerns about damage to the environment, the possibility of higher rates being charged to consumers, and the general lack of certainty about what is a brand new industry in this country,” according to the Associated Press.

City spokesperson Doug Bergen said that Ocean City opposes the project, according to OCNJ Daily.

“Ocean City objects to Ocean Wind’s proposed diversions of Ocean City’s beach and wetlands on this procedural basis, and because the environmental impact statements by BOEM and the other state and federal agencies evaluating the impact of Ocean Wind’s proposed project have not been finalized and made public,” he said, according to the news outlet.

Many other residents also voiced their opposition, according to the report. More than 240 attended the more than two and a half hour hearing.

However, some from environmental groups shared their support, according to OCNJ Daily.

“I am here to represent the New Jersey Alliance for Action. The alliance is a strong proponent for wind power. We feel Ocean Wind 1 is the epitome of our advocacy,” said William Healey, according to the report.

“We support the Ocean Wind 1 project as a clean energy project that will benefit overburdened and communities of color to tackle the effects of climate change,” Maria Santiago from Atlantic Climate Justice Alliance said, per OCNJ Daily.

You can view a copy of the diversion application through the Department of Environmental Protection.