New Jersey
US gives go-ahead for Orsted’s New Jersey offshore wind farm to start construction
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The federal government gave the go-ahead Wednesday for New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm to begin construction, clearing the way for the first of at least three — and likely many more — such projects in a state trying to become the East Coast leader in wind energy.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved a construction and operations plan for Ocean Wind I, a wind farm to be built by Danish wind energy company Orsted between 13 and 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City. The wind farm would power 500,000 homes.
Additional approvals from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency still must be obtained, which Orsted estimates will happen by the second quarter of 2024.
A company planning a wind farm off the coast of New Jersey says it wants government financial incentives like the tax break lawmakers are giving a Danish developer.
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A bill to let Danish offshore wind energy developer Orsted keep tax credits that it otherwise would have to return to New Jersey ratepayers was approved by the slimmest of margins in the state Legislature Friday afternoon.
The project already has all of the major state permits it needs, said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Two minor state permits remain outstanding.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s action represents the third federal approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind energy project in the U.S., joining the Vineyard Wind project in Massachusetts and the South Fork Wind project in Rhode Island and New York, both of which are now under construction.
Orsted said it plans to begin construction in New Jersey this fall, “delivering on the promise of good-paying jobs, local investment and clean energy,” said David Hardy, the company’s CEO for the Americas.
“Since day one, the Biden-Harris administration has worked to jump-start the offshore wind industry across the country, and today’s approval for the Ocean Wind I project is another milestone in our efforts to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, called the federal approval “a pivotal inflection point not just for Orsted, but for New Jersey’s nation-leading offshore wind industry as a whole.”
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said Orsted will compensate fishing businesses for lost revenues and reimburse them for lost or damaged gear. The company also will create a navigational safety fund for equipment upgrades, the bureau said.
The project would place nearly 100 wind turbines off the coast of southern New Jersey, where they would be visible from the tourist havens of Atlantic City and Ocean City.
That has generated fierce opposition from community groups, most of whom also blame site preparation work for a spate of whale deaths since December. At least 60 whales have died on the U.S. East Coast since then. But three federal and one state agency all say there is no evidence linking the deaths with offshore wind preparations.
At the request of elected officials who want a moratorium on offshore wind projects, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said last month it would “review matters relating to the potential impacts of offshore wind energy development” in the northern Atlantic area between Maine and New Jersey.
Orsted also has approval from New Jersey to build a second wind farm, which has yet to obtain all its approvals. And a third project, Atlantic Shores, also has state approval but still needs federal permission to begin.
Ocean Wind I’s final major approval came just days after the New Jersey Legislature approved a bill last week that would give Orsted a tax break by letting it keep federal tax credits that the company otherwise would have had to pass on to New Jersey ratepayers. The bill is awaiting action by the governor.
The tax break only applies to Ocean Wind I. But on Monday, Atlantic Shore said it, too, wants government financial aid, warning that its project and the jobs it would create are “at risk” without the incentives.
Atlantic Shores is a joint partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Development LLC.
The work that will begin this fall on Ocean Wind I includes laying its electrical transmission cable and building onshore electrical substations. The tall structures that will support wind turbines, called monopiles, are being welded, sandblasted and painted at EEW American Offshore Structures’ facility at the Port of Paulsboro across the Delaware River from Philadelphia International Airport.
Orsted plans to have the monopiles installed in 2024 and to have power flowing from the project to customers by 2025.
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Strong wind gusts are causing power outages, road closures and downed trees all across New Jersey on Monday evening.
National Weather Service posted a wind advisory alert warning that some New Jersey counties, such as Morris and Sussex, could be experiencing strong and gusty winds throughout the evening.
Strong winds have developed this afternoon with peak gusts of 35 to 45 miles per hour, said National Weather Service. Tree damage and isolated power outages could come from these winds NWS warns.
Road closures from fallen trees
Many North Jersey towns are dealing with road closures due to trees that have fallen because of the extreme wind gusts. Franklin Lakes, Hawthorne, Belleville and Parsippany-Troy Hills have all reported some road closures due to fallen trees from wind gusts.
A downed tree on 9W northbound, north of Palisades Interstate Parkway in Alpine, caused the right lane to be closed as of 7:12 p.m. on Monday, the NJ DOT reported.
More: How to tell if a tree is at risk of falling – from an NJ tree expert
Thousands suffer power outages
The three major power companies were reporting outages in North Jersey Monday evening.The hardest hit counties were Morris and Essex with over 2,600 in each county without power.
Here is a look at the some of the towns being affected at 6:45 p.m.:
- Montville – 1,401 (JCP&L)
- Livingston – 780 (JCP&L)
- Hackensack – 545 (PSE&G)
- Oakland – 435 (Orange & Rockland)
- Parsippany Troy Hills – 315 (JCP&L)
- West Milford – 248 (Orange & Rockland)
- Mount Olive – 223 (JCP&L)
The state’s largest firefighters union has endorsed Newark Council President LaMonica McIver for the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s 10th district.
McIver and ten other Democrats are competing in a July 16 special primary for the chance to fill the unexpired term of Donald Payne, Jr. (D-Newark), who died on April 24 at age 65.
“As president of the Newark City Council, LaMonica has shown a willingness to always communicate with the public safety professionals who keep that city safe,” said Eddie Donnelly, the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association president. “LaMonica listens, and puts her words of support into action.”
Donnelly praised Payne and his father, the late Rep. Donald M. Payne, Sr. (D-Newark), for carrying themselves with “class and dignity” and said they were “never afraid to stand up” for their constituents.
“We know that LaMonica will serve the same way,” he said.
Donnelly said that he’s ready to put the full weight of his 5,000-member union, which includes EMTs and dispatchers, behind McIver.
“An endorsement from NJFMBA is not just words on a piece of paper, it means mobilization and real support,” he said. “Between now and July 16th we will be boots on the ground in Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Union counties, and, ultimately in the voting booth, to help send LaMonica McIver to Congress.”
The Princeton Review an educational services company known for its yearly school rankings released its 20th annual list of the Best Value Colleges for 2024.
The list also recognizes the top private and public schools seven ranking categories such as Overall; Financial Aid; Career Placement; Internships; Alumni Networks; Making an Impact; Students with No Demonstrated Need.
These colleges were chosen based on data collected from over 650 administrators and student surveys and from PayScale.com on alumni career and salary statistics between fall 2023 through spring 2024.
The information was weighted against over 40 data points that included academics, costs, financial aid, debt, grad rates, and career/salary data according to the report.
Out 209 schools that made the Best Value list five of them are from New Jersey.
“We highly recommend the schools that made our Best Value Colleges lists for 2024” Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review said in a press release.
“They share three compelling distinctions. All provide outstanding academics. All support their undergraduates with stellar career services. All demonstrate impressive commitments to affordability via extremely generous financial aid for students with need and/or a comparatively low sticker price. Also, good news for students considering these schools: 42% of the colleges admit 50% or more of their applicants.”
Best Value Colleges for 2024
This list is unranked but share three exceptional features:
- The College of New Jersey
- Madison University
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Princeton University
Three New Jersey colleges also ranked in the some of the seven categories ranking list:
- Princeton University ranked No. 2 in the Top 50 Best Value College (Private Schools) and No. 4 in the Top 20 Best Career Placement (Private Schools)
- Stevens Institute of Technology ranked No. 12 in the top 20 Best Career Placement (Private Schools)
- The New Jersey Institute of Technology ranked No. 23 in the Top 50 Best Value Colleges (Public Schools).
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