Tag Archives: Governor Phil Murphy

Second Minke Whale Found Dead Off Jersey Coast Days Since Offshore Wind Survey Ship Returned

A small minke whale was found dead early Friday morning near Trenton Avenue in Lavallette, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC). The whale, measuring between 10 and 12 feet, was reported to the MMSC around 6:30 a.m. The organization confirmed that this whale is different from the one sighted in the Lower Bay/Raritan Bay area on Thursday. Yesterday, a dead minke whale was found off the shoreline in Raritan Bay. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the research vessel Time and Tide has been conducting survey operations in a corridor off Manasquan Inlet since September 29. That testing will continue through November 16. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:25

Shore Lawmakers Call for Hearings on High-Risk Power Cables for Offshore Wind Project

Senator Jim Holzapfel, Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, and Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-10) have issued a call for legislative hearings concerning the proposal to lay high-risk power cables through densely populated residential streets in Ocean County. These cables would supply power to a potential offshore wind turbine project, a key component of Governor Phil Murphy’s energy master plan. The legislators expressed significant concern over the potential risks associated with the project, which they argue is being pushed through without sufficient consideration for its impact on local communities. “Governor Murphy continues forcing through his reckless energy master plan with no regard to our communities and no concern for the cost, all to get his name in the news for making New Jersey the California of the East Coast,” said the Legislative District 10 Delegation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:06

New Jersey Approves Two Major Offshore Wind Projects

The approvals were part of the state’s third solicitation for offshore wind power as it aims to achieve approximately 11,000 MW of offshore wind power by 2040. The developments are expected to bring significant economic benefits for New Jersey and establish it as a key player in the offshore wind supply chain. New Jersey’s offshore wind development strategy aims to secure the best overall value for ratepayers while safeguarding the environment and commercial and recreational fishing interests. As part of their commitment, the awarded projects will provide over $60 million for environmental and fisheries research, monitoring, and conservation efforts. The approvals come as the offshore wind industry faces challenges from soaring costs, high interest rates and supply chain bottlenecks that have forced some projects to developers to pivot their plans or cancel projects altogether. “Governor Murphy’s leadership is positioning New Jersey as a significant hub for offshore wind development,” said Said Anne Reynolds, Vice President for offshore wind at the American Clean Power Association. More, >>click to read<< 10:45

Offshore wind projects may be cancelled in NJ, according to report

Already facing a series of lawsuits and opposition from state and local officials, Danish wind power developer Orsted is reporting huge financial losses. Those losses, company officials warned, could reach $2.3 billion in the U.S and may force the cancellation of projects of the New Jersey coast. In a conference call with investors, Orsted CEO Mads Nipper told them, “If the walk-away scenario is the economical, rational decision for us, then this remains a real scenario for us.” Orsted is considering “walking away” from or cancelling projects in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maryland. >>click to read<< 08:48

Senator Vin Gopal Says Whale Deaths are a Right Wing Conspiracy Theory

New Jersey Democrat Senator Vin Gopal, a key ally in New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s mission to build wind turbines from Cape May to Sandy Hook said conspiracy theorists are linking a massive increase in whale deaths to offshore wind energy. When asked during a news 12 interview, Gopal, who is also very active politically in Ocean County too, rejected the idea that sonar mapping could be linked to a massive kill-off of whales and dolphins at the Jersey Shore in 2023. When asked if the offshore sonar mapping is responsible for the die off, Gopal was firm. “No, it is not,” he said. Residents criticized Gopal’s conspiracy theory assertion.  Video, >click to read< 07:40

Hundreds Protest New Jersey’s Offshore Wind Farms

Concerns over the increase in whale and dolphin deaths along the Jersey Shore have ignited protests against Governor Phil Murphy’s support for offshore wind energy. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters converged in Atlantic City to voice their concerns, backed by a theory linking these deaths to offshore sonar testing. The Jersey Shore has witnessed an unprecedented spike in marine mammal deaths in the past year alone. Activists from the ‘Save Right Whales Coalition’ and other environmental groups are attributing this alarming trend to sonar mapping activities that precede the construction of offshore wind turbines. However, Governor Murphy argues that the rise in marine fatalities is consistent with a long-term trend observed across the East Coast and not exclusively linked to the offshore wind projects in New Jersey. >click to read< 10:32

Orsted hit with lawsuit over ‘$1bn unconstitutional giveaway’ for giant US offshore wind farm

Orsted’s gigascale Ocean Wind 1 offshore wind project is under threat from a lawsuit filed by opponents in the US state of New Jersey who claim the proposal has benefited from an “unconstitutional $1bn giveaway”. Legal counsel for opposition groups Protect Our Coast NJ and Defend Brigantine Beach said they filed the suit in the state’s Superior Court last week. Orsted’s gigascale Ocean Wind 1 offshore wind project is under threat from a lawsuit filed by opponents in the US state of New Jersey who claim the proposal has benefited from an “unconstitutional $1bn giveaway”. >click to read< 11:21

NJ governor: No pause in wind farm prep after 7th dead whale

New Jersey’s governor said Friday he does not think undersea preparations for offshore wind farms should be halted in response to a recent spate of whale deaths in New Jersey and New York. Democrat Phil Murphy spoke after lawmakers at the local, state and federal levels called for a temporary pause in ocean floor preparation work for offshore wind projects in New Jersey and New York after another dead whale washed ashore in the area. Also on Friday, most of New Jersey’s environmental groups warned against linking offshore wind work and whale deaths, calling such associations “unfounded and premature.” The death was the seventh in a little over a month. The spate of fatalities prompted an environmental group and some citizens groups opposed to offshore wind to ask President Biden earlier this week for a federal investigation into the deaths. >click to read< 07:45

Jersey Shore Mayor Says Murphy Offshore Wind Farm is Hot Air by Funded by Political Lackeys

“One day in the not-too-distant future, you’re going to wake up, look out onto the beach and see armies of gas-powered ships starting to erect “clean” windmills not too far off the coast of Ocean County,” Kanitra said. “It will be the industrialization of the last pristine resource we have in New Jersey… and it will destroy our tourism economy. It’s being sold as an environmentally friendly initiative by Shell Energy and their lackeys, but it’s anything but that. It’s simply a money grab for the BILLIONS these multinational corporations stand to make. That’s why our fishing industry is against it.” If Murphy’s offshore wind farm is environmentally friendly, then why are so many environmental organizations in the state against it? >click to read< 11:52

Offshore Wind Farms: NJ forcefully tips its hand, as we read this stuff delivers a fraction of its total capacity!

Governor Phil Murphy has set a goal for 7500 megawatts of offshore wind-generated electricity by 2035. It is an ambitious goal. It is also a goal that leaves little time for the niceties of public engagement and dialogue. The state clearly showed that it has a plan, and it is going to implement it regardless of public acceptance. Two state actions this month make that abundantly clear. >click to read<, as we read today, Wind Turbines & Solar  Panels Deliver Tiny Fraction of Their Total Capacity – There’s a yawning gulf between what wind turbines and solar panels are capable of delivering and what’s actually delivered. Sunset and calm weather will do it every time. wind and solar advocates always overstate the output of wind turbines and solar panels; and then, only in terms of pointless averages. The subterfuge is as much about omission as embellishment. >click to read< 10: 09