NJ Spotlight roundtable: Offshore Wind in New Jersey

Offshore Wind Energy | Ørsted
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 from 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM

This will be an online event only. Please register to have a viewing link emailed to you Wednesday, 6/16, at 3 p.m. with a repeat send at 4 p.m. Signup here

With New Jersey’s target of delivering 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035 and its aim of becoming the east coast’s wind manufacturing hub, the state is ramping up development activities in this clean energy sector.

Among next steps are the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities plan to hold a solicitation for a second offshore wind project and development of the New Jersey Wind Port in Salem County as the nation’s first purpose-built offshore wind marshaling port.

While these steps are integral to New Jersey’s goal of blunting the most severe impacts of climate change, questions exist regarding offshore wind implementation and impact. Among them:

To what extent can offshore wind deployments reduce dependency on carbon-intensive energy sources in the battle against climate change?

How will the offshore wind sector drive economic development and jobs creation in the state?

What are the visual effects of wind turbines on New Jersey shoreline and will they affect tourism?

How to address concerns about the impact of offshore wind installations on the commercial fishing industry?

Please join us for this NJ Spotlight News virtual roundtable as we discuss with experts how the offshore wind industry can advance in New Jersey while also protecting other business and public interests. 

Opening remarks:

David Hardy, Chief Executive Officer, Ørsted Offshore North America

Panelists:

Governor James J. Florio, Founding Partner, Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor, Senior Fellow, Public Policy and Administration, Edward J. Bloustein Graduate School of Public Policy, Rutgers University

Dr. Josh Kohut, Professor, Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, Rutgers University

Kris Ohleth, Executive Director, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind

Doug O’Malley, State Director, Environment New Jersey

Moderator:
Tom Johnson, Energy & Environment Writer, NJ Spotlight News

Signup here

NJ Spotlight roundtable: Offshore Wind in New Jersey Read More »

Group wants approved boundaries for offshore wind turbines shifted to protect scallop fisheries

(Robert F. Bukaty/AP file photo)

By ACCESSWIRE Published June 11, 2021

The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), representing the vast majority of the limited access Atlantic scallop fishery, is calling for the federal government to change its proposed lease sale boundaries for wind farms off the coast of New York to better protect the region’s fisheries from harmful development.

These changes are necessary, the fund says, because the government’s current proposed lease sales, announced today, fail to incorporate any of the recommendations made by FSF or the city of New Bedford, the nation’s most valuable fishing port.

The sea scallop fishery is one of the most valuable in the country: in 2019, commercial landings totaled more than 60.6 million pounds, valued at approximately $570 million. In the New York Call Areas alone, there were $268 million worth of scallops landed over a five year period, from 2012-2016. Atlantic sea scallops are, in fact, the nation’s most valuable federally managed fishery.

FSF is requesting that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which is responsible for leasing areas for offshore development, incrementally change its lease plans for the New York Bight. Currently, two BOEM Wind Energy Areas (WEAs), Hudson South and Central Bight, are located in particularly sensitive areas for scallops. In their current form, these areas, including hundreds of thousands of acres of ocean, will have a serious negative impact on the fishery.

Don’t miss environmental news stories like this Click for updates

BOEM’s proposed eastern-most lease areas in Hudson South are directly adjacent to the Hudson Canyon Scallop Access Area (“Hudson Canyon SAA”). The Hudson Canyon SAA is one of the most important scallop grounds in the Northeast. From 2001-2018, over 60 million pounds of scallops, valued at well over $600 million, were harvested directly from the area.

Further, a recently published paper principally authored by the lead federal scallop scientist concluded that successful management of the Hudson Canyon SAA resulted in a sevenfold increase in scallops in the nearby Elephant Trunk Scallop Access Area, and benefited scallops in the Delmarva Scallop Access Area. Notably, this information was not available when the boundaries for the WEAs were first drawn in 2018.

Read the full story

We’re always looking for information that might benefit our readers. If you come across something that cries out to be shared, please send it to editor@enviropolitics.com  If we agree, you’ll see it here soon.

Group wants approved boundaries for offshore wind turbines shifted to protect scallop fisheries Read More »

NJ Environment and Solid Waste Agenda for Monday

The Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee will meet remotely at 3: 15 p.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021

The following bills will be considered:

A-2294
Kennedy/Vainieri Huttle
Prohibits the use of receipt paper containing bisphenol A.

A-5663
Moen/Pintor Marin/ Wimberly
Increases penalties for unauthorized transportation or disposal of solid waste.

A-5803
McKeon
This bill would exempt plastic material transported and delivered to, and processed at, an advanced plastic processing facility from State laws regulating the disposal or recycling of solid waste. However, the bill would provide that advanced plastic processing facilities are subject to all other State and federal laws, including environmental laws. The bill would also provide that the terms “advanced plastic processing” and “advanced plastic processing facility” are distinct from various other terms related to solid waste, as described in section 2 of the bill. The bill would also amend the definition of “solid waste” in the “Solid Waste Management Act” (SWMA) ), to exclude source-separated plastic material that is transported and delivered to, and processed at, an advanced plastic processing facility. The bill would thus exclude this type of plastic from the substantive provisions of the SWMA, which, among other things, gives the Department of Environmental Protect the authority to regulate the solid waste collection, transportation, and disposal. The bill would define an “advanced plastic processing facility” as a facility that receives, stores, and processes plastic material generated from industrial, commercial, agricultural, or domestic activities, transforming it into useable products, including but not limited to plastic monomers, chemicals, waxes, lubricants, chemical feedstocks, crude oil, diesel, gasoline, or home heating oil, using 35 chemical processes such as gasification, pyrolysis, and solvolysis

A-5822
Karabinchak/Stanley/Coughlin
Renames Dismal Swamp and Dismal Swamp Preservation Commission as “Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve” and “Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preservation Commission.”

A-5841
Zwicker
Revises certain funding provisions for financial assistance and grants from Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund. This bill is intended to alleviate the current backlog of 48 applications to the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund. The current limits were set in 2017.

AJR-230
McKeon/Vainieri Huttle
Designates May of each year as “Bag Up NJ Mon

Due to the public health emergency, the State House Annex remains closed to visitors. The public may not attend the Committee meeting in person but may view and participate in the meeting via the New Jersey Legislature home page at https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/.

The Committee will take oral testimony on bills, by telephone and video. If you are interested in registering your position with the Committee, please fill out the Registration Form located on the New Jersey Legislature Home Page under the applicable Committee heading.

For those individuals who wish to testify, please check the box “Do you wish to testify?” on the Registration Form. Instructions for testifying before the Committee will be forwarded to you after you submit your Registration Form. The form must be submitted by 3:00 PM on June 11, 2021.

The public may also submit written testimony electronically in lieu of oral testimony. Written testimony will be included in the Committee record and distributed to all the Committee members. Written testimony should be submitted to OLSAideAEN@njleg.org.

In addition to comprehensive coverage of energy and environment news, Monday through Thursday, subscribers to our daily EnviroPolitics newsletter receive a Weekend Legislative Edition that tracks similar legislation from introduction to enactment in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. If you’re not already a subscriber, try a free, no-obligation, 30-day trial.

NJ Environment and Solid Waste Agenda for Monday Read More »

Allow us to take another shot

We were pleased earlier today to think we had sent you our video interview with Lyle Rawlings on an imminent pricing decision that could boost or sink solar development in New Jersey.

It turns out that our attempt was no more effective than the firing squad of violinists above.

Our second, and hopefully final, shot awaits your click.

Frank Brill
Editor@EnviroPolitics.com
609-577-9017

Allow us to take another shot Read More »

NJ regulators are approaching a decision that will determine the future cost of solar energy. Installers are sweating it out.

Solar energy expert Lyle Rawlings says New Jersey needs to encourage growth in large solar farms in order to meet Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean energy goals. He fears that state regulators may not be on the same page with solar developers as a crucial decision approaches.

Watch video interview with EP Editor Frank Brill here.

NJ regulators are approaching a decision that will determine the future cost of solar energy. Installers are sweating it out. Read More »