April 21, 2023 — New Jersey state officials say they are directing almost $2 million more toward studying environmental impacts of offshore wind power. New projects will monitor whales and harbor seals near wind energy projects off Atlantic City.
The announcement comes after months when Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has been beset by pressure from offshore wind project critics and Republican legislators over a series of whale and dolphin strandings on New Jersey beaches.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will also pitch in $100,000 to join the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance, a nonprofit organization that has fishing industry groups, federal and state agencies and wind power developers working together on environmental studies.
The newly announced projects will be funded through New Jersey’s existing Offshore Wind Research & Monitoring Initiative. Topping the list is deployment of a new whale detection buoy off Atlantic City.