Brigantine, Ventnor respond to offshore wind lawsuit dismissal
Press of Atlantic City|Selena Vazquez|Apr 21, 2024
“We are disappointed that a judge would think that the residents of the communities most impacted by the offshore wind project would have ‘no standing’ in a matter that will impact our lives, our economy and our environment,” Ventnor Mayor Lance Landgraf said Saturday. Sera said the proximity and scale of the Atlantic Shores project would make it one of the largest, densest and closest offshore wind farms off any coast in the world.
“We are disappointed that a judge would think that the residents of the communities most impacted by the offshore wind project would have ‘no standing’ in a matter that will impact our lives, our economy and our environment,” Ventnor Mayor Lance Landgraf said Saturday. Sera said the proximity and scale of the Atlantic Shores project would make it one of the largest, densest and closest offshore wind farms off any coast in the world.
A lawsuit filed by eight shore towns against the Atlantic Shores offshore wind project was dismissed in court Thursday due to a lack of standing for homeowners and municipalities, Brigantine Mayor Vince Sera said.
“Personally, I have a very hard time understanding how homeowners and municipalities have no standing in this case when these ocean wind projects will have major negative impacts to the ocean environment, our local economies, the value of people’s homes, and will dramatically increase the cost of electricity paid by everyone in New Jersey,” Sera said in a news release.
The lawsuit was filed by Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Brigantine, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, Surf City and Ventnor on Dec. 1. It called for …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]A lawsuit filed by eight shore towns against the Atlantic Shores offshore wind project was dismissed in court Thursday due to a lack of standing for homeowners and municipalities, Brigantine Mayor Vince Sera said.
“Personally, I have a very hard time understanding how homeowners and municipalities have no standing in this case when these ocean wind projects will have major negative impacts to the ocean environment, our local economies, the value of people’s homes, and will dramatically increase the cost of electricity paid by everyone in New Jersey,” Sera said in a news release.
The lawsuit was filed by Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Brigantine, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, Surf City and Ventnor on Dec. 1. It called for an independent review of the 1,510-megawatt wind turbine facility Atlantic Shores is working to build anywhere from 9 to 20 miles off the towns’ coasts.
The project review was to determine whether the 200-plus wind turbines being built — standing almost as high as the Empire State Building at approximately 1,048 feet — violated the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s coastal regulations.
“The DEP has a responsibility to adhere to their own Coastal Regulations, which prohibit development that threaten the scenic view and environment of the New Jersey Shore,” Sera said.
All eight mayors in the lawsuit expressed concern about the DEP’s ability to make a fair and impartial decision, citing pressure from Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration to make New Jersey a 100% clean energy state by 2035.
Residents on Tuesday asked Atlantic County commissioners to take a strong stand against offshore wind farms, and to reconsider how they spend the county's opioid settlement funds.
“While I have tremendous respect for our legal system, I also understand the politics that are going on behind the scenes with the Murphy Administration doing everything in its power to force these ocean wind projects down people’s throats without any regard to the long-term and potentially irreversible damage that they will cause,” Sera said.
Brigantine residents and members of the nonprofit Defend Brigantine Beach present at Tuesday’s Atlantic County commissioners meeting pushed again for officials to take a strong stand against the wind turbines, noting they were neither “green nor clean.”
“We are disappointed that a judge would think that the residents of the communities most impacted by the offshore wind project would have ‘no standing’ in a matter that will impact our lives, our economy and our environment,” Ventnor Mayor Lance Landgraf said Saturday.
Sera said the proximity and scale of the Atlantic Shores project would make it one of the largest, densest and closest offshore wind farms off any coast in the world.
The court filing highlighted other concerns, including the project’s potential impact on the environment, marine life, property values and local economies, including fishing and tourism.
“I’m urging city council and every other municipality in the State to fight these ocean wind projects with everything they have before it’s too late,” Sera said.