Tag Archives: Protect our Coast New Jersey

Wind Farm Opponents to Host Rally in Ocean City

Opponents of offshore wind farms are holding a rally Saturday to continue their fight against what they believe could harm the environment, the tourism industry, commercial fishing operations and marine life. The second annual “Stop Offshore Wind” rally will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Mark Soifer Park, across from City Hall in Ocean City. The rally will proceed with a march across the Route 52 causeway bridge connecting Ocean City and Somers Point. Danish wind farm developer Orsted announced on Oct. 31 that it was halting its Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects. Representatives of the company maintained that it wouldn’t be financially feasible to do the projects. In a rally flyer advertising Saturday’s event, opponents cautioned that they must continue to speak up against wind farms with the words, “The fight is not over,” despite Orsted withdrawing from the local project.  Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:28

Offshore Wind Opponents Sue NJDEP Over Planned Project

A local grassroots organization opposed to the current offshore wind farm planned off the coast of Long Beach Island is among three groups to sue the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection over its approval of the Atlantic Shores project. Save LBI is joined by Protect Our Coast New Jersey and Defend Brigantine Beach, said Bruce Afran, who is the attorney of record in the legal proceeding. “DEP’s approval flies in the face of federal regulators’ environmental impact statement that says the Atlantic Shores project will damage marine habitat, compress and harden the seafloor, damage marine communities, compromise migration corridors for endangered species and cause commercial fishing stocks to decline,” he said. The DEP has 30 days to respond under court rules, and briefs are expected to be filed by October with argument on the appeal in March or April 2025, according to a statement issued last week by Save LBI, Defend Brigantine Beach and Protect Our Coast New Jersey. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:08

Misinformation: Offshore wind isn’t killing whales. Big oil and gas just want you to think it is.

While ocean conservation organizations and scientists are raising the alarm about how climate change is harming whales, lobbyist groups, online news outlets, and conservative representatives have found a convenient scapegoat for these whale deaths: offshore wind farms. Self-styled “grassroots” groups like Protect Our Coast New Jersey, Save Our Beach View, Nantucket Residents Against Turbines, and the American Coalition for Ocean Protection claim that the technology used in the surveying phase of offshore wind farm development is killing whales — without any supporting evidence. Indeed, representatives from NOAA Fisheries, a bioacoustics expert at the University of Southern Denmark, and scientists at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are all on the record stating that there are no known ties between offshore wind and whale deaths. >click to read< 15:29

Whale deaths exploited in ‘cynical disinformation’ push against wind power, advocates say

Efforts to stop wind turbines off the Atlantic coast have a new mascot: the whale. A dozen New Jersey beach town mayors and several other groups now argue offshore wind power activity could be the cause of recent whale deaths and wind projects must be stopped while scientists investigate. But those most vocal about their concern have been silent in recent years as whale strandings surged along the East Coast. Wind energy supporters and whale advocates say these groups and politicians appear to be using whales as pawns. >click to read<   10:17

Another dead whale washes up on Jersey Shore beach

A third humpback whale in about a month washed up at the Jersey Shore over the weekend, concerning both residents and conservationists. Atlantic City officials say the 30-foot adult humpback whale was discovered on the beach near South Mississippi Avenue Saturday, only a few blocks from where another whale washed ashore on Christmas weekend Spectators watched as scientists began a necropsy on Sunday. Some protesters on the beach Sunday speculate an offshore wind turbine project may have something to do with this. “We’ve never had this number of whale deaths and beaching’s ever as far as I recall,” said Frank Leone from Protect our Coast New Jersey. Video, >click to read< 13:29