Councilman suggests that course of action to slow wind turbine project off south Jersey coast
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – Ocean City Council is not done with its criticism of the planned wind farm off the southern New Jersey coast. Council President Bob Barr suggested the city could sue to slow down the project, which is still in the planning phase.
At Thursday evening’s council meeting, Councilman Michael DeVlieger raised the topic of Ørsted’s proposed $1.6 billion wind farm off the coast stretching from Brigantine to Stone Harbor and featuring up to 99 wind turbines. Although the more-than-800-foot-tall turbines would be some 15 miles off the coast, they would still be visible along the horizon.
At a Dec. 3 council meeting, DeVlieger blasted the project, worrying about its impact on Ocean City’s tourism economy, after a spokesperson for the Danish company’s project made a presentation to council. His attack drew the support of the other members of council.
He followed that up last week by saying he wants to learn more about the project. DeVlieger started on a light note, pulling out a toy wind turbine his family got him for Christmas, then said he wants input from all sides.
The only direct role Ocean City government may play in the project is whether to allow Ørsted to run power transmission cables along right-of-ways (city streets) in the resort. One of three planned cable routes from the wind farm to the New Jersey power grid is through Ocean City to the former B.L. England generating plant in Beesleys Point. The other two are in Atlantic City and in Ocean County at the former Oyster Creek generating station.
“I’m honestly trying to see it as a multi-sided topic,” DeVlieger said. “I think we have to do our research from every perspective,” from how it affects different parts of the economy, including the fishing industry, to the eco-friendly side of using wind power.
“I tell people to do their own research,” he said. “Only you will have an idea how it will affect your business.”
“I don’t want to look back after the fact and say, ‘hey, why didn’t you guys (on council) do something?’” he said, adding he wants to hear concerns and from anyone who supports the project. “If someone is really into it, I want to hear those reasons too.” He said the only way to make a rational judgment is to learn more about it.
Councilman Keith Hartzell and Mayor Jay Gillian both said the project is about the carbon footprint, but questioned the real costs of the project.
Hartzell said there remain a lot of unanswered questions about the cost and its real impact on reducing the carbon footprint caused by generating stations fueled by coal and natural gas.
“Not knowing what something costs drives me nuts,” he said. “These are kitchen table questions. What’s it going to cost? Is it cheaper doing this? Taxpayers have a right to know, not just here but everywhere in New Jersey.”
According to Ørsted, the project is funded by New Jersey ratepayers who all would have to pay $1.46 extra per month on their utility bills for 20 years.
“At the end of the day this is going to cost taxpayers more money,” Gillian said. He added it’s about people in government, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration and the incoming presidential administration, wanting to reduce the carbon footprint.
“The only footprints I care about are the footprints on the beach,” DeVlieger said.
He said if the governor liked the project so much, it should have been off shore in northern New Jersey.
Gillian said the city will get all the facts it can and make sure citizens are well informed as well. He pointed out that Ocean City government has little to do with the massive project, which wouldn’t get to a construction phase for another two years.
“The more green you go the more expensive it gets for us,” the mayor said.
Barr said he has learned more in the past month about wind turbines “than I ever care to know,” and will be demanding more answers, from rudimentary to technical, from Ørsted.
“Based on my research, if we do sue, we can slow them down,” he said, “if that’s what we choose to to. We can make things more difficult for them if we choose to.”
Barr said he is looking forward to meeting with Ørsted representatives again. “I hope they’re more prepared to answer really hard questions.”
