On May 23, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for two wind energy projects offshore New Jersey. According to BOEM, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind submitted a combined Construction and Operations Plan for two wind energy facilities and associated export cables on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore New Jersey: Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1 and 2, collectively referred to as the Atlantic Shores South Wind Project.
The combined proposal includes up to 200 total wind turbines and up to 10 offshore substations with subsea transmission cables potentially making landfall in Atlantic City and Sea Girt. The lease area covers approximately 102,124 acres and is approximately 8.7 miles offshore New Jersey at its closest point.
“Public engagement and Tribal consultations were vital in informing BOEM’s thorough environmental evaluation of the proposed Atlantic Shores South Wind Project,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. According to Klein, BOEM held four public meetings and a Tribal consultation meeting in June 2023 to gather feedback on the Atlantic Shores South draft EIS from Tribal Nations, local community members, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean users.
“Once again, BOEM is recklessly pushing forward with these projects, even after identifying countless devastating impacts on our South Jersey community,” said Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey’s second congressional district. The South Jersey republican congressman whose district includes all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, as well as 14 municipalities in Ocean County and 11 in Gloucester County, blasted BOEM’s official report immediately following the release, noting how it “openly acknowledges major harm to our environment, national defense, fishing industry, supply chain, and tourism.”
“Governor Murphy and BOEM’s continued push for these projects, despite widespread opposition, shows their blatant disregard for New Jersey families in favor of lining the pockets of foreign wind companies,” Van Drew said, adding “Orsted made the decision to cancel their planned projects once they realized they were not economically viable or feasible in South Jersey and I expect Atlantic Shores to soon face the same harsh reality.”
The congressman added, “Offshore wind has absolutely no place in South Jersey, and I will never stop fighting until these misguided projects are permanently stopped.”
