One from Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE. Called Leading Light Wind, would be built 40 miles (64 kilometers) off Long Beach Island and would consist of up to 100 turbines, enough to power 1 million homes.

Another, called Attentive Energy Two, would be built 42 miles (67 kilometers) off Seaside Heights and would not be visible from the shoreline. It is a joint venture between Paris-based TotalEnergies and London-based Corio Generation, and it would power over 650,000 homes.

The third is Atlantic Shores, a joint partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Development LLC. It would generate enough energy to power 700,000 homes and would be 8.4 miles (13.5 kilometers) off the coast of Long Beach Island.

New Jersey has set a goal of getting 100% of its energy from clean sources by 2035, and it wants to become the East Coast leader in offshore wind.

“The strong wind resources off New Jersey’s shoreline are well-suited to the development of a robust offshore wind program,” said Kira Lawrence, a senior policy advisor with the board. “New Jersey remains committed to ensuring that natural resources including fish, marine mammals, birds and other wildlife are protected throughout the development, construction, operation and decommissioning of offshore wind projects.”

Most of the state’s environmental groups support offshore wind as a way to phase out the burning of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and the severe weather that New Jersey and other places have experienced.

“To achieve the necessary carbon emission reductions to protect our communities from the climate crisis, we need a major transition in our energy sector now,” Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, wrote in comments submitted to the board before its vote. “Offshore wind is the future, and one of our greatest clean energy solutions that will benefit the local communities here in our state without the further burning of fossil fuels.”

Other comments sent to the board oppose offshore wind projects as economically unsound and environmentally risky.

“If the NJPBU and other agencies along with the offshore wind developers are so sure that there will be no negative impact on fishing, tourism or real estate, then these claims should be guaranteed in the solicitation, along with appropriate penalties if harm to the tourism, fishing and real estate values occurs,” the group Defend Brigantine Beach and Downbeach wrote to the board.

It’s no secret that mom-and-pop family restaurants are fading away. Even diners are closing at an alarming rate. It’s harder and harder to be an individual operator of a restaurant here in our state.

The good news is that some of the national chains have come up with some pretty good menu ideas and very good food. One of those chains is growing on the East Coast and now boasts three New Jersey locations.

If you like Mediterranean food, you would love Mezeh. They have tons of locations in Virginia and Maryland and some in D.C., North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

SEE MORE: This infuriates most NJ drivers, the rest of us do it all the time

They now have two locations in New Jersey with a third coming soon to Rockaway, Morris County. Over the weekend. I visited the Mount Laurel location. The food was very reasonably priced, fresh and delicious.

They finally recently opened their Hamilton location on Marketplace Boulevard. Their long-awaited grand opening was earlier this month.

Mezeh is a word that can mean taste, flavor, nibble, relish, or even small plate in several different countries in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean.

SEE MORE: The most popular restaurant food delivery order in NJ

The restaurant chain is the brainchild of Saleh Mohamadi, Steve Walker, and Tai Chiao, who wanted to provide customers with fresh, created-in-house daily, exceptionally crafted Mediterranean food at a great price in an environment that pushes the fast-casual envelope.

You can choose from bowls, pitas or flatbread wraps. The menu comes with plenty of their concoctions, or you can build your own.

The best way to describe it is sort of a Chipotle, where you line up and choose your food as the server puts it together for you. The atmosphere is casual Mediterranean.

SEE MORE: Be prepared for sudden stops in New Jersey in the weeks ahead

It would be unfair to call it fast food because it’s just so darn good! Service was friendly and efficient, and we will definitely be going back. It might not be a fine dining establishment, but the food and the service get an A+.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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CHERRY HILL – A Long Island-based credit union has expanded into New Jersey with a new office here.

Bethpage Federal Credit Union, a financial cooperative founded in 1941, now has 35 offices.

It’s also eyeing the Connecticut market, an executive said last September in announcing plans to open four offices in New York and the South Jersey branch by mid-2024.

“Branch expansion throughout the tri-state area is a major part of our growth strategy,” said LindaArmyn, the credit union’s president and CEO

Bethpage described the Cherry Hill office as “a significant milestone” for its plans.

The expansion comes as deposits are growing for federally insured credit unions, a regulator says.

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But the sector also is consolidating, with a downward trend for the overall number of the financial cooperatives, according to the National Credit Union Association.

It says assets in federally insured credit unions last year rose by $88 billion, or 4 percent, to a year-end total of $2.26 trillion.

However, the number of federally insured credit unions fell to 4,604 in last year’s fourth quarter. That was down from 4,760 a year earlier.

“The year-over-year decline is consistent with long-running industry consolidation trends,” says the NCUA, which insures deposits up to $250,000 per individual depositor.

Bethpage, the largest credit union in the Northeast, has doubled its assets over the past seven years, records show.

It had assets of $12.86 billion at year-end 2023, up from $6.2 billion in 2016.

The credit union was founded in 1941 for employees of an aircraft manufacturer in Bethpage, New York. But it’s now open to any customer with a $5 membership account, a spokesperson noted.

Bethpage had almost 460,000 members at the end of last year. That compared to about 277,500 members in 2016.

In a statement, Bethpage noted it belongs to a nationwide network that offers access to customers’ accounts via more than 30,000 free ATMs and 5,000-plus shared branches.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.