In an effort to ensure offshore wind energy near New Jersey is developed in the most environmentally responsible manner possible, nonprofit Clean Ocean Action recently submitted detailed comments to the state Board of Public Utilities regarding plans for offshore wind development. COA policy attorney Peter Blair prepared and submitted correspondence to Aida Camacho-Welch, board secretary, to provide recommendations for the BPUs Offshore Wind Strategic Plan as well as its draft solicitation guidance document for the next offshore wind project.

COA consists of a broad-based coalition of more than 125 active boating, business, community, conservation, diving, environmental, fishing, religious, service, student, surfing and womens groups in New Jersey. Alliance for a Living Ocean, on Long Beach Island, is one of the nonprofits partner organizations. The group has actively followed offshore wind development in the New York/New Jersey Bight for the past decade and, over the last several years, has actively engaged with the BPU, the state Department of Environmental Protection and other state and federal agencies concerning offshore wind.

We need to rapidly transition to a future powered by clean renewable energy, the organization noted last month, citing the acceleration of climate change, which leads to increased temperatures, stronger storms, ocean acidification and sea level rise. As states address and design pathways to achieving climate and clean energy goals, offshore wind has become a prominent option.

The turn to wind power the use of turbines to capture kinetic energy from the wind and generate electricity is an incredibly important issue, says COA, and the nonprofit aims to foster this sustainable industry while also protecting marine and coastal ecosystems.

The BPUs strategic plan, Blair remarked in his comments to Camacho-Welch, is a critical energy blueprint that will guide the necessary transition away from fossil fuels to a system powered by offshore wind energy. It is clear that the NJBPU and state agencies have been hard at work to assess the scope and magnitude of the OSW development.

While offshore wind is necessary to achieve the states climate goals, he added, there are significant potential impacts to the marine and coastal environment from the rapid development of this marine intensive and coastally-dependent industry.

COA urges the state to proactively balance the development of offshore wind with the serious concerns regarding its impacts, including the impacts that are currently under-evaluated. Therefore, it is imperative that the state develop a comprehensive blueprint designed to ensure the environmentally responsible development of New Jerseys goal of 7,500 megawatts by 2035. COA applauds the leadership of NJBPU in developing the strategic plan to act as that blueprint.

The letter also seeks clarity on how the recommendations contained in the strategic plan will be developed into meaningful community engagement and environmental protection for coastal and ocean areas and proposes several recommendations to help strengthen the plan.

In his comments about the draft solicitation guidance document, meanwhile, Blair writes, COA is encouraged by the level of detail outlined in the Draft Guidance Document and appreciates the requirements that are forward-looking in terms of ensuring a clean resilient energy grid. This includes the requirements that the applicants address whether the project will include energy storage capabilities, and information related to the developers intent to use technologies aimed at reducing peak demand electric generation. These are just some of the key aspects that illustrate N.J.s commitment to ensuring offshore wind development is done right.

However, COA does encourage the BPU to include additional requirements, outlined in the comments, to further ensure that the development of offshore wind does not come at the expense of N.J.s marine and coastal ecosystems. These include added obligations for developers in the Environmental Protection Plan, Fisheries Protection Plan, Economic Development Plan, Interconnection Plan, and Operation and Maintenance Plan.

As Blair emphasized, COA, overall, advocates for a balanced approach to wind power that recognizes the urgency of developing affordable and reliable renewable energy in the context of the numerous potential negative impacts offshore wind development may have.

Juliet Kaszas-Hoch

juliet@thesandpaper.net

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Clean Ocean Action Pushes for Environmentally Responsible Offshore Wind Projects - The SandPaper