June 22, 2010
Offshore Wind Energy Gets Double-Barreled Boost
Summer’s off to a brisk start for New Jersey’s emerging offshore wind industry.
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee yesterday approved a bill to help offshore wind developers finance their projects, a move that could help the bill clear the full Senate before lawmakers break for summer recess.
On Friday, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a draft study that found while New Jersey’s coastal waters are teeming with marine mammals, fish and birds, there would be minimal impact from offshore projects located eight to 20 miles off the coast.
The two-year, $7 million study is being touted by environmentalists and clean energy advocates as giving New Jersey an edge over other states in compiling the voluminous data needed to secure assorted permits from state and federal regulatory agencies. It also might shorten the regulatory time frame, which is now expected to take as long as seven years. Read more…
