Tag Archives: New Jersey Sierra Club
N.J. Sierra Club sides with wind (and Phil Murphy) over dead whales
On Tuesday, New Jersey’s Sierra Club chapter and the League of Conservation Voters held a presser in Atlantic City to… demand an end to offshore wind farm exploration? Accountability from politically-power wind industry executives? A comprehensive independent study to determine whether turbine projects are killing whales? Nope. The Garden State’s best-known environmental groups teamed up to side with wind (and Phil Murphy) over whales. Meanwhile, Republican State Senator Vince Polistina (R-2), who represents Atlantic City, has called for a suspension of wind turbine activity following the spate of whale deaths. He also attended the Sierra Club/LCV press conference and expressed surprise at the lack of concern expressed for the natural environment by… environmentalists. >click to read< 12:43
What really killed the whales? Environmental groups in New Jersey are squaring off.
Following the discovery of a 30-foot humpback whale that washed ashore in Atlantic City earlier this month, several groups including Clean Ocean Action wrote to President Biden demanding a pause on all wind-energy activity off the Jersey coast and an investigation into why a total of seven whales have perished in less than five weeks. According to Jennifer Coffey, the executive director of the New Jersey Association of Environmental Commission, suggestions that the Garden State’s plan to construct a huge wind farm out in the ocean have anything to do with the whale tragedies are unfortunate and misguided. >click to read< 08:15
N.J. Governor asks feds for six-month extension to assess impact of offshore wind farms on state’s main fishing grounds
Gov. Phil Murphy is asking the federal government to extend the public comment period on proposed new lease sales for offshore wind in the New York Bight, a step that could delay the process for up to six months. In a letter to Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, the governor requested more time (180 days) because the areas in New York under consideration for wind-energy development include New Jersey’s main fishing grounds, including two that are closest to its coast. >click to read<08:44
N.J.’s ocean canyons: Will these treasures be preserved like national parks?
Because about 75 to 100 miles off the coast of New Jersey — where the continental shelf divides shallow coastal waters and the deep sea — a tale of two canyons is in play involving these geological hot spots. The Baltimore Canyon and the Hudson Canyon, both considered national treasures, are among about 70 such areas along the Mid-Atlantic coastline that are prized by fishermen for their rich species diversity and abundance of marine life. “The canyons are where the fish are … they’re important resources that support our fisheries,” said Michael Luisi, chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, a Dover, Del.-based fishery management group representing the interests of commercial fishermen from New York to North Carolina. “By blocking this designation, the fishing industry is being selfish and only hurting themselves in the long run,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. Read the story here 13:30
New Jersey: Opposition To Seismic Testing Plan
New Jersey environmental officials say they will go to court in an effort to block a plan for seismic testing of the ocean floor. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved the testing that’s designed to examine ocean sediments as part of a study of climate change and sea level rise. Listen to the report 21:07
Offshore Wind Advocates Want Feds to Delay Leasing Tracts Off Jersey Coast
Letter warns governor, legislators that untimely leases could hurt NJ’s offshore wind industry. Read more@njspotlight 10:50
