The Windmills of Your Political Mind
Did New Jersey Republicans just lose one of their better issues?
Plans to build a wind farm off the Jersey coast are being delayed a year. That may mean nothing in the long run, but how about the short run? Like between now and early November?
Republicans have seized on the issue, calling it a heavy-handed attempt by the Democrats to push through an unpopular project. It is also true that many Republicans are not happy with alternative energy development in the first place.
In the case at hand, the GOP has complained about state tax breaks for the developer, potential damage to tourism down the shore and most dramatically, dead whales washing up on the beach. The “Save the Whales” mantra obviously gets attention.
Not only that, some environmentalists agree that underwater sonar activity related to future turbine construction is disorienting to whales, leading to their demise, generally by coming in contact with ships.
At the moment, there is no actual turbine construction.
And now we learn there apparently won’t be for some time.
Orsted, the Danish wind energy developer, said this week that offshore wind development in New Jersey is being delayed until 2026, a year after the original target.
It said the problem is higher interest rates, supply chain issues and the inability to get enough federal tax credits.
At the same time, the company said it is not abandoning the project.
So in simple political terms, what do Republicans do?
Do they continue to blast Democrats for a project that is not foreseen to be done until 2026? Time moves quickly, but that’s a long time away in politics. There will be a different governor in 2026.
As for Democrats, instead of saying there is no absolute evidence sonar equipment is killing whales, which is true, they can say something like, “What’s the big deal? The project is on hold.”
Some Democrats already are getting squeamish. A recent statement by Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin suggested the state should proceed with offshore wind development cautiously.
So, Orsted’s announcement this week is good news for the Dems.
Of course, some with vision beyond 70 days must lament a delay when we’re seeing wildfires, smoky air and dangerous storms all over the country.
Elections come and go, but a changing climate is here for the long haul.
This little dictator of a governor is hell-bent on this offshore wind development. The Board of Public Utilities has been soliciting proposals for additional wind projects and has received four so far.
So this is no time for the GOP to abandon this as an important issue for the November election.
The completion date of the OSW project has been delayed. Project work is continuing. Prep work for onshore cable laying will begin Sept.11 in Ocean City. Surveying for offshore transmission cables off Cape May, Atlantic & Ocean County’s could take place as early as next Friday. The project is “Not on hold”
This line from the article is particularly interesting considering at least two of the recent wildfires are from arson. “Of course, some with vision beyond 70 days must lament a delay when we’re seeing wildfires, smoky air and dangerous storms all over the country.
Elections come and go, but a changing climate is here for the long haul”
Journalists used to do the bare amount of research before making such claims, but partisanship has taken over.
There are many things that can be done for the environment that do not include large tax breaks to foreign companies, increased utility prices, cause micro-climate change, hurt tourism, and negatively affect marine life during and after construction. We can plant more trees, eradicate invasive species, reforest abandoned areas, clean and fix waterways around the state, and help wildlife flourish. Conservatives have been at the front line of conservation since the days of Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon. Green Energy is just another way for elitist to get rich at the working classes expense.
There is going to be a need for several federal lawsuits to stop the windmill farms from being built; otherwise Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May can kiss their tourism dollars “good-bye”. No beach going tourist wants to see wind turbines offshore. Even if they’re 10-15 miles offshore, the wind turbines are 900 feet tall and can be seen almost over the horizon. It will also kill commercial and recreational fishing, which New Jersey has some of the best in the world.
Anyone who claims we need the wind turbines because of climate change and it will save energy costs is either a moronic fool, or part of the racketeering conspiracy getting paid off by the wind turbine companies.
Contrary to popular belief, over 1600 leading scientists have signed on to an extensive research paper that there is NO CLIMATE CHANGE OCCURRING and there is NO GLOBAL WARMING being caused by man. The document, called the “World Climate Declaration” states there is “no climate emergency.”
Calling themselves the Global Climate Intelligence Group, scientists from around the world, including Nobel Laureate Professor John F. Clauser from the United States and Nobel Laureate Professor Ivar Giaever from Norway, signed onto a letter claiming there is no climate emergency in contrast to a narrative portrayed by popular mainstream media. Climatologists, meteorologists, geologists, engineers, and physicists from a wide range of Universities, private, public, and government entities, including NASA, the USDA, and the U.S. Navy, signed onto the document which can be read in its entirety here: There is No Climate Emergency. https://weatherboy.com/leading-scientists-from-around-the-world-declare-there-is-no-climate-emergency/