February 22, 2023 — Offshore wind power development may be next on the list for the Congressional Republicans’ public investigations of Biden administration policies.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, says he’s planning to launch public hearings on the federal permitting process for wind power, starting March 16 somewhere in Van Drew’s southern New Jersey coastal district.
“The unknown impacts of these offshore wind projects raises serious concerns, especially after 18 whales have washed ashore near where surveying is taking place along the East Coast, six of which have been in New Jersey,” Van Drew said in announcing his plans.
Van Drew’s district includes beach resorts like Ocean City, N.J., and Long Beach Island, where homeowners’ groups and municipal officials oppose Ørsted’s Ocean Wind 1 and the nearby Atlantic Shores project. Ocean City officials attempted to block construction of a power cable landing for Ocean Wind, but were rebuffed last week by New Jersey state utility regulators.