New Jersey
Another New Jersey offshore wind project runs into turbulence
Nearly a year ago, Danish wind energy giant Orsted scrapped two offshore wind farms planned off New Jersey’s coast, saying they were no longer financially feasible to build.
Atlantic Shores, another project with preliminary approval in New Jersey, is seeking to rebid the financial terms of its project.
And opponents of offshore wind have seized on the disintegration of a wind turbine blade off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts in July that sent crumbled pieces of it washing ashore on the popular island vacation destination.
Leading Light was one of two projects chosen in January by the state utilities board. But just three weeks after that approval, one of three major turbine manufacturers, GE Vernova, said it would not announce the kind of turbine Invenergy planned to use in the Leading Light Project, according to the filing with the utilities board.
A turbine made by manufacturer Vestas was deemed unsuitable for the project, and the lone remaining manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, told Invenergy in June “that it was substantially increasing the cost of its turbine offering.”
“As a result of these actions, Invenergy is currently without a viable turbine supplier,” it wrote in its filing.
The project, from Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE, would be built 40 miles (65 kilometers) off Long Beach Island and would consist of up to 100 turbines, enough to power 1 million homes.
New Jersey has become the epicenter of resident and political opposition to offshore wind, with numerous community groups and elected officials — most of them Republicans — saying the industry is harmful to the environment and inherently unprofitable.
Supporters, many of them Democrats, say that offshore wind is crucial to move the planet away from the burning of fossil fuels and the changing climate that results from it.
New Jersey has set ambitious goals to become the East Coast hub of the offshore wind industry. It built a manufacturing facility for wind turbine components in the southern part of the state to help achieve that aim.
New Jersey
Renewed wildfire escapes containment and prompts evacuation near New York-New Jersey border
Windy conditions renewed a wildfire that escaped a containtment line and prompted emergency officials to enact a voluntary evacation plan for a small number of houses in a community near the New York-New Jersey border on Saturday.
The voluntary evacuation enacted out of “an abundance of caution” impacted about 165 houses in Warwick, New York, as firefighters continued working to tame the Jennings Creek blaze, New York Parks Department spokesman Jeff Wernick said in an email Saturday night.
On Friday, the wildfire was 90% contained on the Passaic County, New Jersey, side of the border, and about 70% contained in Orange County, New York, officials said.
The wildfire had burned 7 1/2 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) across the two states as of Friday, although New York officials said that number was likely to increase as stronger winds were forecast for the weekend.
On Saturday, Wernick said New York Army National Guard helicopters dropped 21,000 gallons (79,493 liters) of water and a New York State Police helicopter dropped nearly 900 gallons (3,406 liters).
The fire was burning primarily in Sterling Forest State Park, where the visitor center, the lakefront area at Greenwood Lake and historic furnace area remained open but woodland activities including hunting were halted, Wernick said, noting residences around the lake have not been impacted.
A National Weather Service forecast for Warwick did not call for rain until Wednesday night. Firefighters previously said they will remain on the scene until significant rainfall occurs.
The blaze claimed the life of an 18-year-old New York parks employee who died when a tree fell on him as he helped fight the fire in Sterling Forest on Nov. 9.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation.
New Jersey
Democratic US Rep. Josh Gottheimer announces run for New Jersey governor
NEW JERSEY — Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey launched a long-expected campaign for governor Friday, pledging to make the state more affordable.
Gottheimer’s announcement comes just over week after he won reelection for a fourth term in the House in his northern New Jersey district, and he joins an already crowded field for the Democratic nomination in next year’s gubernatorial contest.
He announced his run at a diner in populous suburban Bergen County, which he partly represents. Acknowledging the state’s heavy tax burden and reflecting some of the themes that played out in the recent White House race, Gottheimer pinned his campaign to bringing down prices.
“I am running to be the lower taxes, lower costs governor,” he said. “Life in Jersey has become too damn expensive.”
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s second term expires after next year’s election, and he is barred by term limits from running again.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination to be governor are Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, teachers union president Sean Spiller and former Senate President Steve Sweeney.
Republicans are also lining up to run. Among them are state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli, former state Sen. Ed Durr and radio host Bill Spadea.
Gottheimer, a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton and adviser to the head of the Federal Communications Commission, toppled conservative Republican Rep. Scott Garrett in 2016. He has since become known as a more moderate member of Congress, co-chairing the Problem Solvers Caucus with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Pennsylvania. He is also known as a prolific campaign fundraiser.
If Gottheimer has to resign his House seat, state law calls for the governor to call a special election to fill the vacancy if the seat opens up 70 days before the election.
New Jersey and Virginia are the only states with races for governor next year.
Copyright © 2024 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
New Jersey
MTA worker wins $1 million Powerball payday — and she doesn't care who knows it
A New Jersey woman just entered the millionaire club.
The state’s lottery program announced that Stacey Fiore, an MTA supervisor stationed on Staten Island, won the Powerball prize last weekend.
Fiore plays the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries weekly, according to lottery officials.
She ran into her local Quick Stop last Saturday and pulled a quick pick, which turned out to the payday she had long been hoping for.
“I checked the numbers on Monday on the (Lottery’s phone app),” Fiore told the state lottery. “It said ‘Congratulations. You won a million dollars.’”
The winning numbers were 11, 24, 50, 56, and 66.
Fiore was missing the Powerball number, though, keeping her from the big jackpot.
The Barnegat woman has been spreading the good news. She said she does not care about remaining anonymous.
“I went to the bank and asked to speak to the manager. I said ‘You know somebody won $1 million here in town? Well, that’s me!’” Fiore said.
What are her big plans for the money? Fiore is considering a nice vacation with her husband.
Like many others, the MTA supervisor joked to her colleagues about not returning to work if she wins big. Jokes aside, Fiore was back at work this week on Staten Island.
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