July 12, 2023 — The company building a controversial wind farm off New Jersey’s coast is suing Cape May County officials for not fulfilling permitting requests and following regulator orders it argues has delayed the project.
Ocean Wind 1, owned by Danish-based energy company Ørsted, contends the county, its clerk and its engineer are prolonging the paperwork needed for easements required by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
The officials also are not yet granting road opening permits for work in Ocean City, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit was filed July 3, in the same week the Biden administration approved the wind farm’s construction about 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City.
The wind farm’s builder names the county’s clerk and engineer, Rita Rothberg and Robert Church, respectively. It also names Kevin Lare, the clerk for the Cape May County Board of Commissioners.