Plan will power 450,000 homes,
make NJ the first state to build off-shore wind
Trenton,
NJ – To celebrate Earth Day, leaders
from various levels of New Jersey
government endorsed an initiative for the state to maximize its off-shore wind
potential by 2020. Their plan is the
most ambitious off-shore wind goal to date in New Jersey, providing enough
green power for over 450,000 homes per year.
Supporters specifically urged New Jersey to lead the nation by becoming
the first state to develop wind off-shore.
“Off-shore wind needs to be a robust part of New Jersey’s energy
portfolio. It’s cost-competitive, a direct way to combat global warming, and
will promote green collar jobs in New
Jersey. As we celebrate Earth Day, New Jersey needs to commit itself to an
aggressive goal of 1,750 megawatts of energy from off-shore wind by 2020. New Jersey can be a
national leader on off-shore wind and we should not be reticent,” said former
Governor Jim Florio.
According to a study conducted by Rutgers University’s
Instituteof Marine and Coastal Sciences, New Jersey has “good” to
“excellent” off-shore wind potential along much of the shoreline. Technologies available today can harness that
potential, generating significant energy without the environmental and public
health impacts associated with the state’s existing fossil-fuel and nuclear
power plants.
“This Earth Day, I can think of no more important cause to
tackle than global warming,” said Matt Elliott, global warming and clean energy
advocate at Environment New Jersey. “Clean
energy technologies such as off-shore wind can be a big part of the solution,
and we need strong leadership from Governor Corzine and elected officials at
all levels of government to ensure that we maximize our state’s full potential. The Governor has supported off-shore wind, and
now we need him to think big and endorse some truly visionary goals.”
In last week’s release of the state Energy Master Plan, the Governor
endorsed off-shore wind, but proposed a lesser goal of 1,000 megawatts of
energy by 2020.
The
event today highlighted the strong support for making New Jersey a national
leader in off-shore wind and getting 1,750 megawatts of energy from off-shore
wind by 2020. State leaders supporting
the plan included former Gov. Jim Florio, former state Senator Bill Gormley,
state Senators Barbara Buono, Leonard Lance, and Ray Lesniak; state Assembly
members John McKeon, John Rooney, Sean Kean, Reed Gusciora, and Valerie
Vainieri-Huttle; Belmar Mayor Ken Pringle; and Atlantic County Executive Dennis
Levinson.
Last year, the New
Jersey legislature passed the strongest global
warming law in the nation, requiring the state to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions 20% by 2020, and 80% by 2050.
With former Vice President Al Gore at his side, the Governor signed the
bill into law the day before the Live Earth concert at the Meadowlands.
Now, the state has to develop plans to meet those
goals. Renewable energy – like wind –
coupled with aggressive energy efficiency and conservation must be central to
the state’s plans, supporters said.
“Wind power is a great alternative source of energy since it
does not create the pollution, nor does it deplete natural resources, like
standard energy production from coal, oil, or gas,” remarked Assemblyman Reed
Gusciora (D-Princeton). “There are numerous economic and environmental benefits
from clean energy solutions, which is why I am looking forward to New Jersey
being a national leader in this field.”
Polls
conducted by the NJ Board of Public Utilities show that both residents and
tourist along the Jersey Shore support off-shore
wind in New Jersey by a margin of more than 2 to 1.
Belmar mayor Ken Pringle is among the supporters, citing
the impacts of global warming as reason enough to build off-shore wind.
“For shore communities, the debate about global warming is
more than academic. Coastal towns will be among the first to bear the
brunt of rising seas and more intense and frequent storms,” said Pringle.
“That's why it’s so critical that New
Jersey move forward with the development off-shore
wind farms that will serve as a model for the rest of the nation.”
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