Ocean County Leader

The threat that Middletown and the entire Bayshore area faced with offshore wind projects last year has now moved further down the shore, and there is an army of citizens pushing back.

A group of over 1,000 residents, both in-person and virtual, took a stand against offshore wind at an event held Monday night at the Senior Center in Manasquan. Organized by the local group Stop the High Risk Power Cables, the meeting brought together experts and officials from local, county, state, and federal levels to inform residents about the impacts of the proposed offshore wind energy program. The discussion focused on transmission lines expected to run from the ocean's wind turbines through Sea Girt, Manasquan, Wall Township, and Howell.

In attendance were experts both locally and from across the state with deep experience in offshore wind and the ocean. From the governing side were Mayors Mike Mangan of Manasquan and Don Fetzer of Sea Girt, New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (D-10), and Congressman Chris Smith (D-4). The field of experts included ocean expert Cindy Zepf, businessman Glenn Hughes, engineer Mike Dean, and Keith Moore from Defend Brigantine Beach/Defend our Beaches.

Leading the discussion was Fred Marziano who began by saying: "A bi-partisan group of concerned local citizens who support SAFE, SMART, and alternative energy but oppose plans that make for human guinea pigs in a high-risk experiment that threatens to do irreparable harm. We demand a halt to this project until the risks are objectively evaluated and health, well-being, and safety can be assured."

The three core themes from the two-hour meeting were:

1. The lack of transparency by NJ and Federal Administrations & its entities.

Many experts and governing body members criticized state and federal governments for their lack of transparency.

"The Manasquan council and I have been urging the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) for two months now to host a public education for our residents but they haven't," said Mayor Mangan.

Sea Girt Mayor Don Fetzer questioned: "Why is so much being hidden from us? If this wind project is so beneficial...where are articles praising it? State regulations require a fair procurement process...but everything was concealed."

Expert Keith Moore stated: "Civilian action groups have appealed to the Governor...and submitted thousands of whitepapers...To-date we've received nothing back—no answers at all."

Expert Glenn Hughes presented a document showing potential areas along the coast where power cables could be placed without affecting densely populated neighborhoods. However, he noted that NJBPU's report on alternative options was heavily redacted.

2. No serious testing or real-world examples from Federal or State government on this critical project

Congressman Smith added: “These potential problems with high-powered cables are just concerns highlighted by local residents that big government...are kicking aside.”

3. Highly unified group to fight industrialization of Ocean

Mayor Mangan stated: "Manasquan's position is we are against industrialization of ocean...dependent on ocean for tourism." He thanked citizens' groups alongside Assemblyman Kanitra and Congressman Chris Smith for their support.

Ocean expert Cindy Zepf emphasized renewed opposition against industrializing oceans: "While our organization isn’t opposed to offshore wind...the scope...of this project are beyond reckless."

Organizer Kimberly Patterson responded: "Our goal was to end secrecy...shed light on what is planned for our community." She noted significant participation during summer vacation weeks as indicative of public concern.

This article was published online on Aug. 23, 2024 at 9:27 pm.

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