Energy & Science
N.J. Amps Up Wind Fight, Overriding Beach Towns Balking at Farms
- Seaside towns in both U.S. and U.K. slow offshore wind farms
- New Jersey law stops locals from blocking power developments
The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island
Photographer: Eric Thayer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Offshore wind farm developers are finding one more thing in common with the fossil fuel industry: community backlash on both sides of the Atlantic.
Much like the resistance to fracking in parts of the U.S. and the U.K., oceanfront towns have fought against power lines running ashore from wind farms, even as the massive turbines themselves are mostly out of sight. In a dramatic move Thursday, New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that strips coastal communities of the right to block buried power lines for projects like Orsted A/S’s Ocean Wind 1 off the state’s coast.