NJDEP/Offshore wind turbines.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day calling for the suspension of all offshore wind leases in federal waters of the Outer Continental Shelf for an indefinite period.
The withdrawal reiterates Trump's mantra, “Drill, baby, drill,” for oil and gas and demonstrates his preference for using fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, to address what he called the country’s national energy emergency.
There are three leases for offshore wind projects off the coast of New Jersey. The N.J. Board of Public Utilities has planned a fourth solicitation, which together would be enough energy to power an estimated 30 million homes.
Cape May County launched an aggressive legal fight to challenge plans for another wind farm that would have been located 15 miles off the South Jersey coast, stretching from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor.
The county claimed that the Ocean Wind One project would have caused devastating economic and environmental harm to the shore's tourism industry, commercial fishing operations and marine life, such as whales and dolphins.
Orsted, the Danish energy company that had proposed Ocean Wind One, scrapped the project in October 2023 after citing the huge investment cost, supply chain disruptions and higher interest rates.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has made offshore wind a priority industry for the state and set a goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 and a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050.
In the executive order, Trump cites demand for reliable energy, marine life, the fishing industry and costs for Americans as the reasons to temporarily withdraw energy leases, effective Jan. 21 and until he revokes the order. It also states there shall be no new offshore wind energy leases or renewals.
The executive order further instructs the secretary of the Interior and attorney general to conduct a comprehensive review of the “ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases.”
Their report will be submitted to the president’s economic policy assistant. All relevant agencies of the federal government, such as the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, Environmental Protection and NOAA, may not issue any new leases or extend any existing approvals until a “comprehensive assessment” on wind leasing practices is completed.
“The assessment shall consider the environmental impact of onshore and offshore wind projects upon wildlife, including but not limited to, birds and marine mammals,” the order states.
“It’s the most expensive energy there is. It’s driving the whales crazy,” Trump said Jan. 7 while criticizing the offshore wind industry.
The administrator of the Protect Our Coast Facebook page praised the president for keeping his promise to squash offshore wind on day one of his new term in office. Protect Our Coast also congratulated New Jersey’s offshore wind opponents who have been quite vocal in their opposition to massive wind turbines that would be seen from the beaches of New Jersey.
“Your efforts were instrumental in bringing the dangers of offshore wind to light and making this moment possible. Your voices were heard, and this administration responded with a Day One Executive Order,” the post stated. “But our work is far from over. As we enter Day Two, your dedication is more important than ever. POC NJ remains fully engaged, active, and committed to seeing this fight through.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, whose 2nd Congressional District includes the shore communities of Atlantic and Cape May counties, told Fox News that the federal investigation would reveal issues and problems with the way the wind farm leases were approved. Van Drew helped to write the executive order halting the wind farm projects. He called them “awful projects.”
“What does it do to the whales, what does it do to the ocean itself, the tourism, how does it affect the fishing industry, how does it affect national security, how does it affect the ratepayer? These are things that need to be looked at that were not looked at properly before,” said Van Drew, an opponent of offshore wind farms. “I think the decision that makes sense is that we will not have them.”
