Ocean City The First Battleground In National Offshore Wind Fight

OCEAN CITY, NJ — As New Jersey sets its sights on a green energy future using wind turbines all along the shore, it hopes to serve as a blueprint of sorts for other East Coast states doing the same. And in Cape May County, residents and vacationers alike also hope to serve as a blueprint - for the opposition.

The first major offshore wind project to receive federal approval in New Jersey is Orsted's Ocean Wind 1, located 15 miles off the coast of Ocean City, where locals have been fighting the project since day one.

Ocean Wind 1 has been criticized by residents and politicians stretching from the local level to Rep. Jeff Van Drew.

While the project is set to start construction this fall, Ocean Wind 1 is still waiting for necessary permits to be issued - permits that they're fighting to get in court.

A judge has already ruled that Ocean City must issue a road-opening permit, while a similar permit for a county-controlled road is still pending in court.

The project's opponents are ready and willing to take Ocean Wind 1 to court, too. Two of the most vocal anti-wind groups, Protect Our Coast NJ and Defend Brigantine Beach filed a lawsuit recently against the state claiming that the tax break given to Orsted is illegal.

“The Legislature's giveaway of federal tax credits to Orsted benefits a single company in violation of the New Jersey Constitution,” Bruce Afran, a lawyer representing the groups, told the Associated Press. “In New Jersey, laws that favor a single private party are generally unconstitutional.”

Yet another lawsuit appeals the decision that Ocean Wind 1 is consistent with state coastal management rules.

County officials have signaled that they are willing to take the fight as far as it needs to go. Read more: Offshore Wind Fight Strengthens In Cape May County

The reasons opponents give for not wanting offshore wind vary from the potential impact on tourism to views to claims it will actually increase electric bills. But no reason has energized people quite as much as whale mortalities.

Despite marine experts insisting that there is no link between marine mammal deaths and offshore wind activities, the “save the whales” mantra has taken a hold of opponents who urge that more information is needed before making a decision on building the turbines.

“The plan to create a superhighway of windmills off of our beaches should be halted until studies can be completed to answer the questions about the whales and other serious negative environmental and economic impacts that are likely to occur,” Cape May County Commission Director Len Desiderio previously said. “And if those studies show that our losses will be severe, then these windmills should not be built.”

Groups like the abovementioned Protect Our Coast NJ have been major players in this. But the Washington Post reports that these groups share talking points with anti-wind dark money organizations.

The Caesar Rodney Institute, led by director David Stevenson, has been accused of funding Protect Our Coast NJ using oil industry funds, which he denied to the Post.

“The 'meme' is that I am the oil industry's evil tool trying to kill the President’s dream of planet-saving offshore wind turbines,” Stevenson previously said. “This is simply false and not true.”

Opponents plan to keep fighting and do whatever they can to stop offshore wind.

“Right now, Orsted has made Cape May County part of a mass experiment and they have no idea how bad the results will be and, frankly, they don’t seem to care,” Desiderio said. “Our serious legal team will be looking for avenues to stop these projects from damaging our environment and our economy.”

Related

'We Have Lost Our Way': Ocean City Mayor Slams Offshore Wind Approval

LBI Offshore Wind Farm Needs More Environmental Study, Opponents Say

Feds Approve Wind Farm Project Off Coast Of Ocean City