Offshore Wind Energy - Beware the Myths, Learn the Facts -

For decades, NJEL lobbied for reducing air pollution. Early on, that meant supporting implementation of the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions. Following that, NJEL promoted energy conservation, low–emission vehicles, and what at the time was called “clean” energy.

As technology improved the viability of solar and wind power, renewables were recognized for further reducing pollution and for providing new economic benefits. Renewable generation would also avoid other consequences: environmental damage from mining fossil fuels; disastrous accidents; and, the political risks of depending upon foreign oil.

NJEL supported renewable energy development when there was skepticism and outright opposition that was not based on facts. NJEL’s lobbyist had a prominent role in the passage of the measure that protected solar panels and small wind mills from capricious zoning exclusions.

Science has revealed that replacing fossil fuels with renewables is not just a strategy to clean the air and reduce environmental and political risks. It is a necessity to ensure the survivability of our planet.

Burning fossil fuels has raised the earth’s temperature. However small the degree increase may sound, it has already resulted in melting glaciers, sea level rise, more violent storms, damage to animal species, and agricultural insecurity.

New Jersey’s plentiful energy resource, off-shore wind, was recognized over a decade ago as a replacement for fossil fuels. There were several proposals for wind farms in coastal waters, along with legislation to facilitate their development. Unfortunately, political obstruction delayed progress for years.

Now, the Murphy administration has put the state on track toward a renewable energy future, with renewable energy credits and approval of coastal lease areas. Unfortunately, a campaign of misinformation about the wind farms has emerged, with inaccurate claims about seascape views and damage to wildlife. Aimed at coastal residents and public officials, the claims ignore the research and review processes that are required to move projects forward.

The following contribution from Orsted’s Director of New Jersey Market Affairs, describes the company’s approach to protecting the marine environment and contributing to New Jersey’s economy

Based on the feedback from the Symposium, NJEL is already planning a future event that will examine the economic issues attached to offshore wind farms, as well as community-based information sessions

Ocean Wind Updates - by Vincent Maione, Director of NJ Market Affairs -

We thank New Jersey Environmental Lobby for an opportunity to update its members on the status of our New Jersey offshore wind project, Ocean Wind. We are optimistic that changes at the federal level will propel offshore wind to the top of the environmental agenda.

In January, President Biden specifically mentioned offshore wind in his climate change-related executive orders, pointing to his desire to double the nation’s offshore wind capacity.

At the state level, Orsted is excited to partner with New Jersey to meet its renewable energy goals. We believe that now is the time to take real action to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. Renewable energy holds the key to a greener future, and we need to act now to begin to reduce the effects of climate change. Ocean Wind will remove 110 million tons of CO2 during the project’s 25+ year lifespan, the equivalent of removing 21.6 million cars off New Jersey roads.

Ocean Wind will be the first offshore wind farm in New Jersey delivering 1100 MW of clean, reliable energy to the state. The project will be located 15 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey and will create enough electricity to power half a million homes. Site and survey work began immediately upon receiving the award from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and we anticipate the project providing first power in late 2024, subject to federal permitting timelines, other development and construction activities.

Offshore wind energy is an opportunity for everyone, not just developers. These opportunities begin with the creation of a domestic supply chain. As a global leader in the field, we have strong supplier relationships which will help us bring jobs and investment to the Garden State as evidenced by our partnership with pipe manufacturer EEW and the Port of Paulsboro to build a monopile manufacturing plant there. We have established a $15 million fund, The Pro-NJ Grantor Trust, with the goal of ensuring that the offshore wind industry is developed in a sustainable and inclusive way. The Trust offers small, woman- and minority-owned business enterprises (SBE, WBE, and MBE) in New Jersey support in reconfiguring their businesses to participate in the offshore wind industry. It will also provide funding for infrastructure resiliency improvements critical to the coastal communities in Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties. Businesses, non-profit organizations, non-state funded academic institutions that have partnered with counties and/or municipalities, and governmental agencies at the county and municipal levels in the aforementioned counties are also eligible to apply for funding toward resiliency projects.

Questions do arise about the potential impacts of offshore wind on ecosystems and wildlife. Being a sustainable developer is something we take seriously. We have been named the world’s most sustainable energy company for three years in a row by Corporate Knights. Ørsted always strives to limit the potential adverse impacts that building and operating green energy infrastructure may have on nature and people.

We strive to protect the natural environment in the areas where we construct and operate offshore wind farms. Our team engages in extensive stakeholder dialogue to understand local considerations and sensitivities as we site projects, minimize impacts during construction and continuously monitor for potential impacts during the operational life of the wind farm.

As a result of stakeholder feedback, the Ocean Wind team moved the closest point of Ocean Wind from 8 miles to 15 miles from shore. We did this to minimize potential impacts to migratory birds along the New Jersey coastline and to minimize the visual impacts to those communities. We also make interactions with coastal and maritime stakeholders a top priority.

We are focused on engagement with local residents, wildlife advocates, the fishing community and other key stakeholders in
Atlantic, Ocean, and Cape May Counties to ensure that development, construction, and operational aspects of the Ocean Wind project are done responsibly. We have assembled a robust marine affairs team and a fisheries liaison whose focus is to stay engaged and on top of any questions that arise from representatives of the commercial and recreational fishing communities.

Along with our working relationship with NJEL, we are aligned with the NJ Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation and other key groups interested in protecting wildlife and marine ecosystems. We provide regular updates to the NGO community and participate and sponsor events, meetings and presentations to ensure we are providing a steady stream of information about offshore wind.

We have funded scientific research of offshore wind with New Jersey’s leading academic institutions including Rutgers, Rowan, Stockton and Montclair State Universities. We have partnered with Rutgers, the University of Rhode Island and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in launching the Ecosystem and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (ECO-PAM) project. Ørsted signed an initial memorandum of understanding with Rutgers University in May 2019 to support academic research activities related to offshore wind. The ECO-PAM project is in addition to the initial funding agreement. Ørsted plans to apply the project’s learnings to develop tailored processes and procedures to better protect the North Atlantic right whale during the survey, construction, and operation phases of our U.S. offshore wind farm portfolio. The ECO-PAM project will ensure that we can act to solve the global climate crisis while preserving local ecosystems.

In conclusion, we have tried to provide an informative Ocean Wind update in this newsletter. We invite you to visit www.oceanwind.com to learn more. If you are interested in more information regarding the Pro-NJ Grantor Trust funds, please visit www.pronjtrust.org.

EEF and NJEL are International - Meet EEF Coordinator Rohit Gangwani -

By Lindsey Kayman - EEF President

Rohit Gangwani, an undergraduate student from central India, started working for EEF at the start of the pandemic. Rohit also joined NJEL. You may wonder how a student from India started working for a NJ based non-profit.

Rohit was conducting nature walks and birding hikes. He organized a team of volunteers who conducted forest clean-ups and helped him create wildlife gardens on unused public lands, and he was involved in preservation advocacy near his home.

He was introduced to EEF President Lindsey Kayman by a mutual nature-loving friend in 2018. Using materials provided by EEF, he organized environmental events, ecoliteracy training sessions, and an environmental film festival at his school, VidyaBharti College in Amravati, India. Rohit’s initiative, organizational skills, and language proficiency were outstanding, especially considering that all supervision was virtual! When EEF’s project manager Naniko Chikhladze departed for graduate school, Rohit assumed part time duties as EEF coordinator.

From across the globe, Rohit creates graphics, maintains the EEF social networking sites, and plans, organizes and hosts virtual events, This included a recent screening of the film, “Field Biologist” with a Q&A with Director Jared Flesher and film subject, Tyler Christensen. At an event of the Alliance for NJ Environmental Educators (ANJEE), EEF screened “The Story of Plastic” and Rohit organized and led a panel discussion, with youth from Fridays For Future* attending virtually from the USA and India.

Rohit presented a dozen events at his college’s Documentary Screening & Science Talk Series. These were open to the public and attracted students from other schools. They covered both local and global subjects, from the preservation of the Aarey Forest (a significant urban forest in the City of Mumbai) to the environmental impacts of the palm oil industry. Before the virus lockdown, in-person events drew up to 120 attendees. When in-person events were discontinued, the format became virtual. Currently, Rohit is promoting an ongoing environmental literacy program at his college. He can be reached at RohitGangwani17@gmail.com and via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rohit.gangwani.14661

* Fridays for Future is an international movement of students who participate in demonstrations on Fridays, to demand action on climate change. Organizing began after Swedish student Greta Thunberg staged a protest outside of the Swedish Parliament in August 2018. Ms. Thunberg inspired the Global Week for Future, a series of 4,500 strikes in 150 countries, from Friday September 20 to Friday September 27, 2019. Adults joined in, for an estimated 4 million protesters.

Meanwhile, in D.C. . . . On March 29, Presidential Cabinet Secretaries announced a Federal strategy for deploying offshore wind projects. Among them is a new priority Wind Energy Management Area in the New York Bight. The Bight is an area of relatively shallow water between Long Island and New Jersey. Wind farm development there would create thousands of development & construction jobs, and thousands of permanent jobs after construction. For a complete account, visit NJEL’s web page, www.njenvironment.org, click on the Environmental News tab, and see “Biden Administration Jump Starts Offshore Wind Energy Projects.”

Why the NJ Highlands Coalition Opposes Proposed Forest Stewardship Bills -

NJEL is a statewide lobbying organization that focuses on issues that impact all of New Jersey, while the Highlands Coalition is a private, nonprofit watchdog of the Highlands region, the source of drinking water for millions of people in and outside of the region. The organizations have many members in common and NJEL is a proud affiliate of the Coalition’s policy committee.

On the subject of forests, our statewide and regional interests intersect. While New Jersey is the most population-dense state in the union, no area of the state is very far from a forest. Forests are not just nice to have, nice to look at, nice to visit. They are integral to the environmental health of the state, the nation, and the globe. Forest trees sequester carbon, protect watersheds from pollution, cool the earth, and provide habitat for plants and animals of the ecosystem. Forests are one of the most significant characteristics of the Highlands region. Coalition staff specialists are experts in protecting their integrity.

Three forestry bills were introduced in the Legislature in October 2020 that purport to protect forests on public lands and lands acquired with constitutionally dedicated public funding.

A4843 and its companion S3549 would require forest stewardship plans to be prepared for forested land of 25 acres or more that is acquired for conservation or recreational purposes. The Department of Environmental Protection would review and either approve or disapprove a plan. Disapproval would require the owner to work with the DEP to develop an acceptable plan.

A4844/S3550 removes the authority of local governments to require or approve stewardship plans on land within their borders. A4845/S3548 sets minimum acreage goals and time frames for prescribed burns in the Pinelands and the rest of the State.

Conservation organizations might be expected to support these measures but a number of advocates, led by the NJ Highlands Coalition, oppose them. On March 22, the Coalition sent a letter to the Assembly Appropriations Committee about the deficiencies of the bills. To read the entire letter, visit www.njhighlandscoalition.org, click on “Resources,” then “Comments to Agencies.” Scroll to the March 22 “Open Letter . . . Opposing the FSP. . .” Some points appear below.

- A4843 provides no funding for the substantial costs involved in developing a forest stewardship plan. It would be an unfunded mandate and could be repealed by the Council on Unfunded Mandates. It would be a burden on local governments, conservation groups and land trusts.

- It would enshrine in law the practice of managing public lands without public participation or assurance that the special characteristics and needs, as well as the value to local residents, of a particular forest will be identified, let alone addressed. A4843 fails to identify particular elements that should be addressed in plans: active and passive public use, flora & fauna (including the adverse effects of animal activity, such as deer over browsing, and invasive species), steep slopes, soil integrity, carbon sequestration under alternative plans, and scenic views.

- A4843 does not acknowledge a restoration option for New Jersey forests, some of which are “post agricultural,” that is, they were forests converted to agricultural use, decades or even hundreds of years ago, and subsequently abandoned agriculturally. These are forests that need special intervention because of soil degradation and invasive species. Neither does A4843 address timber harvesting, which is frequently the focus of seemingly benign forest “management” and “stewardship.” There is, in fact, widely recognized guidance for developing restoration plans that the Highlands Coalition and its partners recommend as options to stewardship plans when appropriate.

- A4845 sets an arbitrary minimum acreage goal for prescribed burns. There is no scientific basis for that acreage amount. Prescribed burns should be conducted based on determinations of ecological and safety need.

The Highlands Coalition letter asks that the three bills be withdrawn from consideration.

Why is the Liberty State Park Protection Bill Languishing? -

In the Summer 2020 newsletter we reported at length about the background and status of the proposed Liberty State Park Protection Act. Unfortunately, the multi-year saga continues. From a distance, the obstacles appear to be Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. Neither the Senate (S1449) nor Assembly (A2189) version of the bill has been referred to the respective committees with jurisdiction. Until that happens, the bills cannot advance.

It is disappointing, too, that Governor Murphy is not more visible in the campaign to protect Liberty State Park (LSP). Surely, the integrity of the Park is not solely a local concern. Permanent protection of LSP would seem to align with the administration’s past pronouncements about the things that are important to New Jersey—the environment, the economy (tourism), equity, and cultural sensitivity.

LSP has ecological value as a part of the Atlantic Flyway. Caven Point, subject of the latest private acquisition plan, is a migratory bird habitat and nesting area. LSP is a spacious green urban oasis in the State’s densest city and is heavily used by the residents. It is available and accessible for recreation and for social events. As a gateway to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and with one of the most iconic views in the United States, it is a tourist destination. Albeit for different reasons, It has cultural and historic significance for the descendants of the indigenous people who inhabited the area and the immigrants and refugees who came centuries later.* It is also part of New Jersey’s important, if mixed, legacy of industrialization and railroading.

For decades, every proposal to commercialize or limit public access to Liberty State Park (LSP) met with opposition from Jersey City residents, nonprofit groups, and nonresidents who recognized the recreational, ecological, and cultural value of the Park. By now, it should be clear to legislators that their constituents do not want LSP acreage sold off or otherwise diverted for the benefit of a privileged few. Although Mr. Paul Fireman reportedly withdrew his request to lease 22 acres for an expansion of his private golf course, that does not protect LSP from future schemes.

While there is frustration with Governor Murphy’s lack of engagement, the administration did take a very positive step that does not require legislation. Four and a half decades after the veritable rescue of the derelict area that became LSP, the Department of Environmental Protection announced the restoration of what is referred to as the “interior acreage.” This is approximately 234 contaminated acres that have been closed to the public for health and safety reasons. In October 2020 DEP unveiled remediation plans and a design concept that includes wetlands restoration and seven miles of trails. Funds will come from polluters’ damage payments. DEP solicited public comment and facilitated online and written comment submissions. Work could commence this summer.

Months ago the Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP) and its partner NY/NJ Baykeeper created an online petition to request passage of the LSP Protection Act. Thousands of signatures were collected initially, but responses declined, probably because people thought the bill was on its way to passage. That is not the case and FOLSP is appealing for additional signatures to let legislators know that the public support is growing. Some NJEL members signed months ago. If you did not, please do so at www.folsp.org, and refer others to the petition. On the web site you will also find the letter to the Governor that was signed by more than a dozen other organizations that support the efforts of FOLSP and the Baykeeper, and information about the interior restoration concept.

NJEL supports FOLSP’s efforts to achieve the goal of permanent protection for LSP. An immediate task is to convince additional legislators to sign on as co-sponsors. The question is, what are our political leaders waiting for?

* The NJ Commission of Indian Affairs has urged the Governor to protect Caven Point, the site of a 1643 Dutch massacre of Lenape Native Americans. See the letter, which includes historical accounts and images, at: www.folsp.org/indian_affairs_support_protection_act.pdf

- - - - - - - -

Watch for an interim online newsletter about the Environmental Education Fund’s current projects. Or, visit EEF’s website, www.environmentaleducationfund.org to learn about EEF’s efforts to educate the public about sustainability. EEF provides entertaining and thought-provoking films, as well as training. Donations to EEF are tax deductible as charitable contributions. Help EEF educate the public about environmental sustainability!

REMEMBER!

The New Jersey Environmental Lobby is your voice in Trenton. We are an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on the preservation and protection of a healthy environment for all our citizens. We need your support! JOIN NJEL and help us change the laws!

Back To Top