Saving Seafood

NEW JERSEY: Strong Support for Wind Energy

Most unaware of costs, but prioritize environmental benefits

April 3, 2019 — WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — The following was released by Monmouth University Poll:

The Monmouth University Poll finds that the vast majority of Garden State residents support the development of electricity-generating wind farms off the state’s coast, which is significantly higher than public backing for oil drilling and expansion of nuclear power. Nearly half say that wind energy development should be a major priority for the state in the coming decade. Support for wind farms decreases, though, if electricity rates were to go up because of a greater investment in wind energy. However, most residents currently expect that their rates will not increase because of wind farm development.

Three-quarters of New Jersey residents (76%) would favor placing electricity-generating wind farms off the coast of the state, while just 15% would oppose this action. Past support for offshore wind farms was slightly higher, ranging between 80% and 84% in polls taken between 2008 and 2011. Support is high among Democrats (79%), independents (77%), and Republicans (69%).

“There is broad, bipartisan agreement that moving forward with offshore wind projects should be a priority.  If New Jersey achieves Gov. Murphy’s ambitious goal of generating 3,500 MW of electricity from offshore wind by 2030, it will put the state on a path to a green energy future,” said Tony MacDonald, director of the Urban Coast Institute at Monmouth University.

About half of Garden State residents (48%) say significantly increasing the amount of offshore wind energy should be a major priority for New Jersey over the next ten years. Another 34% say it should be a minor priority and just 11% say it should not be a priority at all. Two-thirds (66%) of Democrats say it should be a major priority. They are joined by 43% of independents and 32% of Republicans who say the same.

Few New Jerseyans believe that developing wind energy off the state’s coast will lead to an increase in their own utility rates. In the short term, just 19% expect that their rates would go up for the next few years, while 35% say their rates would actually decrease and another 35% say they would stay the same. Over the long term, just 15% expect their rates would be higher ten years from now, while a majority (52%) expect them to be lower than they would be if no new wind farms were developed. Another 24% expect to see no change in their rates a decade from now if the state develops more wind energy. Younger residents under age 35 are more optimistic about their rates going down in the long run (65%) than are those aged 35 to 54 (52%) or those 55 and older (41%).  People who earn over $100,000 a year are more likely to believe their electricity rates will decrease (60%) in the long term if more wind energy is developed than are people who earn $50,000 to $100,000 (50%) or people who earn less than $50,000 (49%).

Although New Jersey residents are generally supportive of wind energy, 45% would oppose developing more wind farms if it caused their electricity rates to increase. Four-in-ten (41%) would still favor wind farm development. Slightly over half of Democrats (54%) would favor offshore wind farm development even if their electricity costs went up but only around one-third of independents (35%) and Republicans (30%) would favor it. There is a similar split by age: 53% of those aged 18 to 34 would favor offshore wind farm development while 36% of those aged 35 to 54 and 35% of people 55 and older would favor it. Support for wind energy development is divided at each income level if it would cause electricity rates to increase over the next few years. Among those who earn less than $50,000 a year, 38% would still favor wind energy development if their rates went up while 42% would oppose it. Opinion stands at 40% favor and 50% oppose among those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 and at 45% favor and 42% oppose among those earning over $100,000.

“This could be tricky for clean energy advocates.  Support for wind energy could drop once New Jersey ratepayers become aware of any development costs they will have to bear.  However, they could become more willing to shoulder some of that investment if they are convinced it will lead to real environmental benefits,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

A majority of New Jerseyans (58%) would support developing offshore wind energy even if their electricity rates increased, if they also felt this would significantly reduce carbon emissions and the reliance on fossil fuels. Just 28% are opposed. Most Democrats (74%) and independents (55%) would favor wind farm development under these circumstances, but few Republicans (36%) would join them. A majority of all age groups favor developing emissions-reducing offshore wind farms whose initial costs they would have to share, but those aged 18 to 34 (66%) are more likely to feel this way than are those aged 35 to 54 (56%) or those aged 55 and older (53%).

A majority (56%) of state residents think that protecting the environment should be a more important priority for U.S. energy policy right now while 25% say the priority should be keeping energy prices low.  This opinion has not changed from a 2010 poll.  Most Democrats (71%) and independents (58%) prioritize environmental protection, but a plurality of Republicans (40%) think the priority should be keeping energy prices low. More than 2-in-3 New Jerseyans aged 18 to 34 (69%) say protecting the environment should be the priority of U.S. energy policy compared to about half of those aged 35 to 54 (52%) and those 55 and older (49%) who say the same.

The Monmouth University Poll also finds that New Jerseyans are not enthusiastic about some other possible options to meet the state’s energy needs. Just 3-in-10 Garden State residents (30%) favor drilling for oil and gas off the state’s coast while twice as many (61%) oppose it. Support for oil exploration was higher in 2011 at 52% in favor and 45% opposed.  Sentiment in the previous year was much more negative, at 31% in favor and 63% opposed in a poll taken just a few months after the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to that, support for offshore drilling in New Jersey had been stronger at 56% in favor and just 36% opposed in 2008. Nearly half of Republicans (48%) would currently favor offshore oil and gas drilling, but less than one-third of independents (31%) and only 18% of Democrats feel the same.

Expanding nuclear power is no more popular than offshore drilling. Only one-quarter of New Jerseyans (26%) would favor building another nuclear power plant in the state while two-thirds (67%) would oppose it. Support for adding another nuclear plant to the Garden State’s power grid has declined over the past decade, going from 41% in 2008 to 31% in 2011.

“There seems to be a recognition that the long-term economic and environmental benefits of investing in clean, renewable energy sources outweigh any short-term costs. At the same time, New Jerseyans no longer seem willing to accept the environmental risks of offshore drilling and nuclear power as a price for lowering their energy costs,” said MacDonald of the Urban Coast Institute.

The poll also examined opinion among residents who live in New Jersey’s four coastal counties versus those who live inland. There were few differences in the findings on most of the questions asked. One key area where opinion diverges is support for wind energy development that would lead to an increase in electricity rates. Residents of coastal counties are more likely to favor (46%) rather than oppose (36%) developing offshore wind farms in this scenario, while those who live inland are more likely to oppose (47%) rather than favor (39%) it.

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from February 8 to 10, 2019 with 604 New Jersey adults.  The question results in this release have a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percentage points.  The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, NJ.  Carolyn Lau, Research Associate at the Polling Institute, contributed to the analysis in this report.

Monmouth University will be holding two events related to the coastal environment this month.  On April 5, there will be a panel discussion on “Our Ocean and Beaches: A Record of Success and New Challenges to Face” which is free and open to the public.  On April 17-18, leading experts from around the world will assemble at Monmouth for the Climate, Coasts & Communities Symposium hosted by the Urban Coast Institute.

New Jersey shark fin ban bill: Assembly to vote today on measure to protect sharks

March 25, 2019 — The New Jersey Assembly will vote on a bill today that will prohibit the selling, trading, distribution or possession of any shark fin that has been separated from a shark prior to its lawful landing.

The bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee last Monday after already having passed the Senate. If it clears the assembly, it will go to Gov. Murphy to sign into law.

Assemblyman John Armato D-Northfield, one of the bill’s primary sponsor told the Asbury Park Press they’re trying to “get out in front of” shark finning.

Fishing industry members here say the bill will hurt local fishermen not involved in the illegal trade and punishes the wrong people.

“It’s a clear attempt to discourage the industry from participating in sustainable shark fisheries. The industry is monitored, regulated, observed, managed under rigorous scrutiny and this legislation could care less,” Greg DiDomenico, president of the Garden State Seafood Association, said.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

Betting $1 Million on Offshore New Jersey Wind Paid Off Big Time

February 1, 2019 — Over the past year, U.S. Wind got calls “every day” to sell a lease the energy company bought for $1 million in 2015 in its push to build a wind farm off the New Jersey coast.

“Each time we’d say no,” said Salvo Vitale, the company’s chief counsel, but the offers kept rising. Finally, just before the year ended, they hit a level the company couldn’t resist after New Jersey’s new governor, Phil Murphy, helped push through a mandate that 50 percent of the Garden State’s power would come from renewable sources by 2030.

The result: A $215 million sale of the lease to Electricite de France SA and Royal Dutch Shell PLC last month. It’s a deal that may have marked the start of a new era for energy development in the U.S. Northeast as states rev up green-power mandates to fight global warming, and European energy giants seek to leverage their offshore expertise back home in a rich new market.

When New Jersey changed its standards, “the value skyrocketed” for U.S. Wind’s lease, Vitale said by telephone. “The signals on policy made it feel like the stock market. Each time news came out on policy, we’d get a call from a bank.”

New Jersey’s not alone in this effort. Concerns about global warming have gained among Northeast states as U.S. officials, under President Donald Trump, have been dismissive. Meanwhile, the cost of building offshore turbines is shrinking as the equipment gets bigger and more powerful, and the supply chain has worked out early kinks.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

New Jersey ready to commit to offshore wind

December 19, 2018 — As offshore wind developers worked their way up to a record-setting New England lease sale last week, New Jersey energy planners met once more in Atlantic City before setting their own goalposts.

“We’re looking for proposals that deliver not only the best price, but the best value,” said Anne Marie McShea of the Board of Public Utilities, the state energy regulators who will soon make a deal to buy up to 1,100 megawatts of power to be generated from future wind turbines.

For wind power advocates, that means a deal that will bring new jobs to New Jersey, both in building and operating offshore turbine arrays, and manufacturing components locally.

Almost a decade ago, it looked like the Garden State might take a lead role in developing offshore wind power. In Atlantic City, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority built the state’s first commercial-scale wind power project, adding the sight of five spinning rotors to the resort’s gaudy skyline.

In April 2009, then-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar came to town, talking up the new Obama administration plan to develop East Coast leases for wind power along with oil and gas, part of the “all of the above” energy strategy.

There was the Fishermen’s Energy plan for a five-turbine offshore array, within sight of the Atlantic City beaches, conceived by the late Daniel Cohen of Atlantic Cape Fisheries, Cape May,N.J., as a way for seafood companies to get a place at the table for planning renewable energy.

But then-Gov. Chris Christie’s administration began to cool on the idea.

The Board of Public Utilities did not like aspects of the pilot project, including the projected cost to ratepayers. Then there were Christie’s presidential ambitions, which meant playing to the conservative Republican base with its dislike of renewable energy subsidies.

Read the full story at WorkBoat

NEW JERSEY: Gov. Murphy signs bill for marine fisheries management

August 13, 2018 — A bill to provide an extra $1.2 million to the state Bureau of Marine Fisheries for shellfish and fisheries management was signed into law Friday by Gov. Phil Murphy.

It’s an increase to the $2.468 million allocated in the governor’s proposed fiscal year 2019 budget, said bill sponsors, bringing the total appropriation to $3.668 million for the coming fiscal year.

The Bureau of Marine Fisheries in the state Department of Environmental Protection is charged with protecting, conserving and enhancing marine fisheries resources and habitats.

“This will undoubtedly provide a big boost for tourism and for fishermen in South Jersey,” said co-sponsor Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak, D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland.

He said the bureau’s work to ensure sustainable fisheries will allow tourism and commercial and recreational fishing to thrive.

The bill was also co-sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblymen Bruce Land, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic; and Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic; and in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

Spending a year at sea to find best spots for wind turbines

July 17, 2018 — It’s a little reminiscent of the Beatles’ yellow submarine, but it doesn’t go underwater.

Instead, the bright yellow, boat-like buoy that floated off a dock Monday at Gardner’s Basin will use high-tech instrumentation on deck to help Danish offshore wind company Orsted place wind turbines for its Ocean Wind project, planned for 10 miles off Atlantic City.

If built, Ocean Wind would be New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, and only the second in the nation after the five-turbine, 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island.

Company officials have said they could have the wind farm operational by 2025, but only if it is soon awarded state offshore wind energy credits to finance construction. The program to do that is still being created by the state Board of Public Utilities.

Gov. Phil Murphy has committed New Jersey to quickly generate 1,100 megawatts of electricity through offshore wind, 3,500 megawatts from offshore wind by 2030, and 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

Murphy gets state, fishing industry more time for wind energy plan

June 1, 2018 — New Jersey under Gov. Phil Murphy is fully committed to offshore wind, working toward generating 3.5 gigawatts of its clean energy by 2030. The Board of Public Utilities has been ordered to prepare to seek bids on more than 1,000 megawatts of wind power, and a Danish company with a lease for an ocean wind farm has opened an office in Atlantic City.

So when the governor asked early last month for another 180 days to comment on the next round of vast ocean wind leases — this time in the much used and fought over New York Bight between the city’s harbor, Long Island and South Jersey — his request was very credible.

If even an ardent supporter of green energy wants more time to consider the impacts of massive wind farms on other users, he must be speaking for all New Jersey businesses and people with a stake in these very valuable waters.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

 

Massachusetts: Largest U.S. contract to date makes SouthCoast a hub for offshore wind

May 29, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Now we have an industry, not just a plan.

That’s the feeling among would-be suppliers and others after Massachusetts and Rhode Island awarded offshore wind contracts on Wednesday to two developers for a combined 1,200 megawatts of power.

Though subject to negotiation and permitting, the Massachusetts award of 800 megawatts essentially green-lights the largest U.S. offshore wind farm to date. Together, the two projects could power about 620,000 homes, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Even Bay State Wind, whose bid was not successful, is looking forward to a bright future in the region.

“This is the first of what we think will be many more to come,” said Lauren Burm, a spokeswoman for Ørsted, one of the partners behind Bay State Wind. She said solicitations on the Eastern seaboard are expected to exceed 7,000 megawatts in the next 10 years.

And Ørsted is moving on.

On May 17, the Danish company opened an office in Atlantic City for a prospective wind farm off New Jersey, where it holds another lease in federal waters.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a renewable energy law on May 23, the same day Massachusetts and Rhode Island made their awards. In it, he codified in law his previously stated goal of buying 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. The state has not issued a request for proposals.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

 

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Asks for More Time to Analyze Offshore Wind Impacts on Commercial Fishermen

May 10, 2018 — WASHINGTON — New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is asking the federal government for more time to analyze the potential impacts of offshore wind development, specifically on the state’s important commercial fishing industry.

In a letter last week to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Gov. Murphy wrote that the 45 days allotted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for comments on wind development in the New York Bight “is simply not enough time” for New Jersey to conduct the extensive outreach to fishermen it needs. Citing the year of stakeholder outreach conducted by New York, Gov. Murphy requested a 180-day extension of the public comment period.

“New Jersey and its fishing industry need ample time to collect and provide to BOEM more detailed information to enable BOEM to do a responsible job during the next stage of its wind energy leasing process,” Gov. Murphy wrote.

Gov. Murphy called input from New Jersey fishermen “particularly critical” because the state’s main fishing grounds are in areas that New York has submitted to BOEM for potential wind energy development, including two vital areas that are closest to New Jersey’s coast.

“While New Jersey believes that wind energy and the fishing industry can coexist productively, it is critical that potential conflicts from these multiple uses be identified and planned for early in the process,” Gov. Murphy wrote.

According to the letter, New Jersey is “only now beginning [its] review and stakeholder process,” in contrast to New York, which has had four years to conduct studies of offshore wind areas. It pointed out that New York did not effectively engage with New Jersey fishermen or other stakeholders as part of this process.

Gov. Murphy was also critical of BOEM’s own lack of engagement with New Jersey’s fishing industry, stating that they have “not yet been meaningfully involved in the process.” He pointed to two letters from New Jersey to BOEM late last year, which highlighted the lack of stakeholder outreach and requested meetings between fishermen and BOEM before moving forward with a public comment period.

However, BOEM scheduled just one fisheries-based meeting on the New York Bight in one location after its call for comments.

“This minimal level of outreach and limited time frame for response from New Jersey’s stakeholders are simply not adequate or equitable,” Gov. Murphy wrote.

Gov. Murphy’s letter is the latest effort to ensure that the concerns of fishing communities are properly considered in the development of offshore energy projects. In April, members of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities wrote to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, expressing their concerns over several proposed offshore projects and calling for more robust stakeholder engagement.

 

Murphy request could slow development of wind farms off NJ, NY

May 10, 2018 — Gov. Phil Murphy is asking the federal government to extend the public comment period on proposed new lease sales for offshore wind in the New York Bight, a step that could delay the process for up to six months.

In a letter to Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, the governor requested more time (180 days) because the areas in New York under consideration for wind-energy development include New Jersey’s main fishing grounds, including two that are closest to its coast.

The request, if granted, could slow recent steps taken by both states to expedite building offshore wind farms in waters near New York and New Jersey. All along the Eastern Seaboard, states are bidding to lure developers to build large wind farms off their coasts, a process that is becoming increasingly competitive.

Read the full story at the NJ Spotlight