July 6, 2023

Source: Asbury Park Press

Excerpt:

New Jersey’s first offshore wind energy project — and the third approved by the federal government — received approval on Wednesday from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM.

The project, known as Ocean Wind 1, will be run by Denmark-based power company Ørsted and be built about 15 miles off the coast. The project will generate enough electricity to power about 500,000 homes, according to the company.

“Since Day One, the Biden-Harris administration has worked to jump-start the offshore wind industry across the country — and today’s approval for the Ocean Wind 1 project is another milestone in our efforts to create good-paying union jobs while combatting climate change and powering our nation,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the announcement marked a “pivotal inflection point” in the state’s transition toward carbon-free power.

Proponents of offshore wind say climate change is a dangerous threat to New Jersey’s marine and coastal ecosystems as well as millions of residents: Through warming oceans that will lead to worse storms and more frequent flooding, ocean acidification that will kill marine animals, and disruptions in migration routes and feeding and breeding areas.

Read more: Federal government approves first offshore wind farm in NJ