Proposed view of Atlantic Shores offshore wind project from the beach in Holgate.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The Board of Commissioners approved a resolution Nov. 9 joining Long Beach Township, five Ocean County shore communities and the City of Brigantine in a lawsuit against the Atlantic Shores offshore wind project.
The project proposes to build more than 200 wind turbines nine to 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey. According to representatives in Long Beach Township, the turbines are 1,048 feet tall and 918 feet in diameter, which will be clearly visible from the beach.
The commissioners agreed to spend $10,000 to join the lawsuit filed by attorneys at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, PC. The lawsuit will seek a declaration from an administrative law judge that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection is not being “impartial” in reviewing the environmental impact of the project. A visual impact study will be submitted for review.
Funds will be used for attorney fees, exclusive of any expert fees that may be required, according to the resolution. The township will be lead agency in the filing. Other municipalities joining the lawsuit are Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom and Surf City.
“We got the news Orsted is pulling out, but we do have Atlantic Shores whose lease area is right off our shores,” Mayor Lance Landgraf said. “The lawsuit is about what the process has been – to either slow down or stop these windmills off our coast.”
Commissioner of Finance Maria Mento said $10,000 would be the limit to the city’s financial exposure in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Nov. 29 directed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to launch New Jersey’s fourth offshore wind solicitation in early 2024 for awards in early 2025. The governor’s action reaffirms the state’s commitment to achieving a 100% clean energy economy by 2035.
“I have directed the BPU to take this action in recognition of the strong future of New Jersey’s offshore wind industry,” Murphy said in a statement. “New Jersey can – and will – continue to remain a burgeoning offshore wind development hub that attracts new projects and their accompanying economic and environmental benefits for generations to come. These new projects, along with the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind project awarded in 2021, will support tens of thousands of good-paying, family-sustaining jobs for New Jerseyans while protecting the quality of the air our children breathe and making good on the promise of affordable clean energy produced right here in the Garden State.”
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