NJ Senate Advances Offshore Wind Bills

Two bills that could end New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) blocking of wind energy projects offshore Atlantic City have passed the State Senate Environmental Panel, writes South Jersey Times.

The first piece of legislation come from Smith and Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney who proposed two acts, “Offshore Wind Economic Development Act” (OWEDA) and the “Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act”, that would require a percentage of electricity sold by BPU to New Jersey to come from offshore wind.

Another legislation comes from Senators Bob Smith and Jim Whelan. Their bill would force BPU to approve a qualified wind energy project while removing need for cost-benefit analysis.

Offshore wind “will create jobs in a growing sector of the economy and will help reduce our reliance on the fossil fuels that pollute the environment and impact the health of our residents. We need to move into the forefront of new energy technologies and take advantage of the opportunities they provide,” wrote Sweeney in a statement.