Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman writing with other Republican former Secretaries of the Environmental Protection Agency in the New York Times on August 1 proposed a Republican Case for Climate Action[1]. She recognizes that traditional Republican responses are untenable in the current political environment, but argues that the Environment itself cannot afford to wait.
“The costs of inaction are undeniable. The lines of scientific evidence grow only stronger and more numerous. And the window of time remaining to act is growing smaller: delay could mean that warming becomes ‘locked in’.”
Over the dozen plus years since Governor Whitman left the Governor’s mansion, New Jersey has taken a number of steps to address these challenges. The phenomenal success of solar energy in New Jersey has now been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences, which according to a study published in June[2], found that solar energy in New Jersey displaces significantly more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter than would a panel in Arizona, resulting in 15 times more health and environmental benefits. The same can be true for wind.
Starting with The New Jersey Offshore Wind Feasibility Study prepared for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities by Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation and AWS Scientific, Inc. and completed in November of 2004[3]; the Blue Ribbon Panel on the Development of Wind Turbine Facilities in Coastal Waters which called for offshore wind demonstration projects on May 1, 2006[4]; the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities award of met tower grants in December of 2008; and with the completion of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Baseline Studies Environmental Impact Study in 2010[5], governmental leadership in New Jersey provided the groundwork for the State to lead the offshore wind industry in America. These actions were confirmed with the adoption of the 2011 Energy Master Plan, which Governor Chris Christie unveiled on December 6, 2011[6]. “This final adopted Energy Master Plan demonstrates the Administration's firm commitment to change the way energy is produced, distributed and used as part of our broader emphasis on driving the development of cleaner and renewable sources of energy to spur business and economic growth throughout the Garden State," said Governor Christie. "The EMP offers concrete strategies to reduce some of the nation's highest energy rates and make them comparable to costs in other regions and states, which is consistent with the recommendations of the State Strategic Plan for facilitating economic growth and lowering the cost of living for New Jersey residents[7]."
In August 2010, following bipartisan support in the Legislature, Governor Chris Christie signed the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act (OWEDA)[8], a groundbreaking statutory model which established a financing mechanism to provide offshore development companies with a market for their energy and, perhaps more importantly, with an economic incentive for manufacturing and supply chain development in New Jersey. Three years ago last month, the stage was set for New Jersey to lead the development of this nascent industry in North America and to garner the jobs and investment that it will create.
Fishermen’s Energy, founded by New Jersey commercial fishermen to respond to the public’s need to develop the ocean for renewable wind energy, was prepared and positioned to pursue the opportunities created by OWEDA. Fishermen’s goal is to turn Atlantic coastal waters into an unmatched source of clean energy, while maintaining a vibrant commercial fishing industry. By partnering with experienced professionals in the renewable energy and the offshore wind business community, Fishermen’s was soon in a position to propose, plan, and build a responsible project to serve the public’s need for safe renewable energy within the context of OWEDA.
Three years after OWEDA became Law, Fishermen’s has a fully permitted five turbine 25 MW project, the Atlantic City Wind Farm, pending NJBPU approval. The project, which has already been awarded a Department of Energy Advanced Technology Grant of $4M, will likely be the first offshore wind farm in America if construction commences during 2015 and operations commence as scheduled in 2016. This $188 million project will create over 400 jobs in New Jersey, will kick start an industry, and will lead to manufacturing and supply chain development along the Delaware River to service the build out of American offshore wind, a build out that Fishermen’s and its partners are eager to lead.
“We can have both a strong economy and a livable climate” wrote Governor Whitman. “All parties know that we need both. The rest of the discussion is either detail, which we can resolve, or purposeful delay, which we should not tolerate.”
Immediately upon final approval from the NJBPU, Fishermen’s Atlantic City Wind Farm will commence construction. Years of permitting, economic and environmental studies, and planning have made this project “shovel ready”, representing New Jobs for New Jersey Now. A new industry, including the manufacturing and supply chain needed to sustain it, will develop here in New Jersey if the State signals to the world that it is in fact open for business.
[1] A Republican Case for Climate Action By WILLIAM D. RUCKELSHAUS, LEE M. THOMAS, WILLIAM K. REILLY and CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, New York Times, August 1, 2013
[2] Regional variations in the health, environmental, and climate benefits of wind and solar generation: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States .By Kyle Siler-Evansa, Inês Lima Azevedoa, M. Granger Morgana, and Jay Apta (Edited by Edward L. Miles, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and approved May 15, 2013)
[3] http://www.njcleanenergy.com/files/file/FinalNewJersey.pdf
[4] http://www.state.nj.us/njwindpanel/docs/finalwindpanelreport.pdf
[5] http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/ocean-wind/vol1-cover-intro.pdf
[6] http://nj.gov/emp/docs/pdf/2011_Final_Energy_Master_Plan.pdf
[7] http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552011/approved/20111206b.html
[8] Offshore Wind Economic Development Act, 2010 N.J. Laws 57 (codified as amended at NJSA §48:3-87(d)(4)).
“The costs of inaction are undeniable. The lines of scientific evidence grow only stronger and more numerous. And the window of time remaining to act is growing smaller: delay could mean that warming becomes ‘locked in’.”
Over the dozen plus years since Governor Whitman left the Governor’s mansion, New Jersey has taken a number of steps to address these challenges. The phenomenal success of solar energy in New Jersey has now been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences, which according to a study published in June[2], found that solar energy in New Jersey displaces significantly more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter than would a panel in Arizona, resulting in 15 times more health and environmental benefits. The same can be true for wind.
Starting with The New Jersey Offshore Wind Feasibility Study prepared for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities by Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation and AWS Scientific, Inc. and completed in November of 2004[3]; the Blue Ribbon Panel on the Development of Wind Turbine Facilities in Coastal Waters which called for offshore wind demonstration projects on May 1, 2006[4]; the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities award of met tower grants in December of 2008; and with the completion of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Baseline Studies Environmental Impact Study in 2010[5], governmental leadership in New Jersey provided the groundwork for the State to lead the offshore wind industry in America. These actions were confirmed with the adoption of the 2011 Energy Master Plan, which Governor Chris Christie unveiled on December 6, 2011[6]. “This final adopted Energy Master Plan demonstrates the Administration's firm commitment to change the way energy is produced, distributed and used as part of our broader emphasis on driving the development of cleaner and renewable sources of energy to spur business and economic growth throughout the Garden State," said Governor Christie. "The EMP offers concrete strategies to reduce some of the nation's highest energy rates and make them comparable to costs in other regions and states, which is consistent with the recommendations of the State Strategic Plan for facilitating economic growth and lowering the cost of living for New Jersey residents[7]."
In August 2010, following bipartisan support in the Legislature, Governor Chris Christie signed the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act (OWEDA)[8], a groundbreaking statutory model which established a financing mechanism to provide offshore development companies with a market for their energy and, perhaps more importantly, with an economic incentive for manufacturing and supply chain development in New Jersey. Three years ago last month, the stage was set for New Jersey to lead the development of this nascent industry in North America and to garner the jobs and investment that it will create.
Fishermen’s Energy, founded by New Jersey commercial fishermen to respond to the public’s need to develop the ocean for renewable wind energy, was prepared and positioned to pursue the opportunities created by OWEDA. Fishermen’s goal is to turn Atlantic coastal waters into an unmatched source of clean energy, while maintaining a vibrant commercial fishing industry. By partnering with experienced professionals in the renewable energy and the offshore wind business community, Fishermen’s was soon in a position to propose, plan, and build a responsible project to serve the public’s need for safe renewable energy within the context of OWEDA.
Three years after OWEDA became Law, Fishermen’s has a fully permitted five turbine 25 MW project, the Atlantic City Wind Farm, pending NJBPU approval. The project, which has already been awarded a Department of Energy Advanced Technology Grant of $4M, will likely be the first offshore wind farm in America if construction commences during 2015 and operations commence as scheduled in 2016. This $188 million project will create over 400 jobs in New Jersey, will kick start an industry, and will lead to manufacturing and supply chain development along the Delaware River to service the build out of American offshore wind, a build out that Fishermen’s and its partners are eager to lead.
“We can have both a strong economy and a livable climate” wrote Governor Whitman. “All parties know that we need both. The rest of the discussion is either detail, which we can resolve, or purposeful delay, which we should not tolerate.”
Immediately upon final approval from the NJBPU, Fishermen’s Atlantic City Wind Farm will commence construction. Years of permitting, economic and environmental studies, and planning have made this project “shovel ready”, representing New Jobs for New Jersey Now. A new industry, including the manufacturing and supply chain needed to sustain it, will develop here in New Jersey if the State signals to the world that it is in fact open for business.
[1] A Republican Case for Climate Action By WILLIAM D. RUCKELSHAUS, LEE M. THOMAS, WILLIAM K. REILLY and CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, New York Times, August 1, 2013
[2] Regional variations in the health, environmental, and climate benefits of wind and solar generation: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States .By Kyle Siler-Evansa, Inês Lima Azevedoa, M. Granger Morgana, and Jay Apta (Edited by Edward L. Miles, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and approved May 15, 2013)
[3] http://www.njcleanenergy.com/files/file/FinalNewJersey.pdf
[4] http://www.state.nj.us/njwindpanel/docs/finalwindpanelreport.pdf
[5] http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/ocean-wind/vol1-cover-intro.pdf
[6] http://nj.gov/emp/docs/pdf/2011_Final_Energy_Master_Plan.pdf
[7] http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552011/approved/20111206b.html
[8] Offshore Wind Economic Development Act, 2010 N.J. Laws 57 (codified as amended at NJSA §48:3-87(d)(4)).