For Immediate Release
Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100 June 18, 2010
The Answer is Blowing in the Wind
Trenton -- Today the Department of Environmental Protection released its baseline report on offshore wind power following a two-year scientific study. The Sierra Club applauds this research as a step towards clean energy and reducing New Jersey's reliance on fossil fuels and finite resources.
The findings of the report indicate that wind energy can be produced with minimal environmental impact. The impact is lessened the further you go off the coast. This is a position the Sierra Club has maintained since the bird and wildlife population decreases at greater distance from the shoreline. The Sierra Club urges the DEP to extend research further off shore than the current study area.
"This report clearly shows that New Jersey can have wind farms off the coast that will help provide clean energy for the state with negligible risks to the environment. The Sierra Club believes that this report is a big step but the state needs to move forward on permitting and funding for offshore wind," said Jeff Tittel, New Jersey Sierra Club Director.
The further off the coast the windmills are placed, the more efficient they are. At 15 to 25 miles out, the windmills are invisible from shore and are much more efficient for generating power. Winds off the mid-Atlantic coast are rated at Class 4, 5 and 6. Classes 5 and 6 and are up to 60 percent efficient.
The report is a zoning map similar to the landscape maps that the DEP uses to determine environmentally sensitive areas. It designates areas that have the least potential for environmental impact. The existence of species in an area, however, does not mean those species will be negatively impacted. Evidence has shown that bases on windmills act like artificial reefs. This will increase fishery resources and food sources for sea mammals and sea turtles. This project is similar to the landscape maps that the DEP uses to determine the environmentally sensitive areas.
The biggest threat to all species on the planet is global warming. The United States needs to decrease its dependence on the fossil fuels that increase pollution and are the primary cause of climate change. This report did not look at the effects of repowering the BL England coal plant located near the coast in South Jersey. This plant will produce one and a half million tons of CO2 in addition to mercury, sulfur and other pollutants. An offshore wind farm will produce only clean, renewable energy. The DEP must remove all obstacles to wind and move to promote this resource.
This report, although a step in the right direction, slowed the process of implementing wind power. The DEP spent two years on a blue ribbon panel and another two years on a baseline study which did not include an environmental review or risk assessment. The review must get done rapidly and efficiently so that the New Jersey can move forward to a clean energy future. To realize this goal, the state must also pass the offshore wind credit bill recently approved by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. This program will facilitate manufacturing of turbines and construction of wind farms, which will produce green jobs and stimulate the economy.
Not only is offshore wind clean power, in the long run, it is more economical and not subject to price volatility. Construction costs have soared for conventional power plants, and their fuel prices have increased under pressure from growing worldwide demand. Construction of an offshore wind farm currently costs only 30% more than a conventional coal plant for the same rated power capacity, and the "fuel" for a wind farm is free. Over the 25-year projected power plant life, using the same range of volatility that coal prices have exhibited in the past year (ranging from $55 to $145 per ton), wind is the better investment.
Wind power is also cheaper than nuclear. A current proposal in Maryland to construct a 1500 MW power plant has a total cost estimated at $20 billion. We could build a 3000 MW wind farm off New Jersey's coast for approximately $9 to $10 billion. The cost of operating a nuclear power plant is about 30 times greater than the cost of maintaining and operating windmills.
The benefits of promoting and implementing offshore wind power are more evident now than ever. The Gulf spill is an unprecedented environmental disaster that could never happen with the production of wind energy. If a turbine falls over in the ocean it may make a splash but it won't devastate wildlife and destroy miles of coastline. The time for wind power is now.
"Wind is the most cost effective and reliable form of renewable energy. In order for New Jersey to adequately protect the environment it needs to start building windmills and stop studying them. The biggest threat to the coasts is global warming, sea level rise and coal plants like BL England. We're either going to have windmills or oil rigs, and we choose wind," Tittel said.
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- Download full text: 0618_Wind_Report_Released.doc