For Immediate Release
January 2, 2013 Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
Feds Approve Offshore Wind Credits Yesterday Congress passed two important measures to continue supporting offshore wind.They extended the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for wind energy for one year and expanded the eligibility requirements. This action will allow the wind industry to resume its strong growth and hire back many of the workers who were laid off in the past year.While action is being taken at the federal level and Boehner and other Republicans are making offshore wind a reality, Governor Christie is stalling important regulations to fund offshore wind projects.It has been almost two years since the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act regulations were supposed to have been put in place and we have seen no progress and no windmills off our coast.Instead the BPU is delaying the rules that would make this renewable energy source a reality.
"There was a victory for wind last night in the fiscal cliff deal.The federal government, whether it is the President, the Republican Speaker of the House, or Senators from both parties are putting in place credits to make offshore wind a reality.While Congress is moving forward on offshore wind, Governor Christie is blocking offshore wind here in New Jersey, costing the state thousands of jobs and clean renewable energy ," said Jeff Tittel, Director, NJ Sierra Club. The Governor has been dragging his feet and delaying offshore wind in New Jersey.75,000 wind jobs have been created in the US and New Jersey needs to get its share.It is not just jobs in installing wind but also rebuilding the port, building the factories, the jobs in assembling and maintaining the windmills, building the substations and electric connections to serve the windmills, and the American steel that would be used in making the windmills. We are losing jobs in the financial sector and venture capitalism for funding and investing in wind. New Jersey is in the top ten in the nation for venture capital, research and development, and job growth in renewable and clean energy and the Governor's policies could jeopardize that.
"The Paulsboro site slated for an offshore wind factory and port is still vacant because of Governor Christie's deliberate inaction on the rules.The jobs that should be coming to New Jersey are going to Delaware, Maryland, and Massachusetts as well as the clean energy.The Governor has no problem in promoting fossil fuels, including subsidizing three natural gas plants with $2 billion while he is blocking offshore wind in New Jersey.After Hurricane Sandy it is unconscionable to be delaying renewable energy; we should be addressing climate change and providing new energy sources as we rebuild off our coast," *said Jeff Tittel*. The Board of Public Utilities (BPU) had until March 2011 to develop regulations setting up the Offshore Renewable Energy Credit (OREC) program.These regulations have still not been released even in draft form.BPU is readopting the current wind rules which are very weak without changes or strengthening them to make it easier to do wind projects.
"Off shore wind is the most reliable and cost effective form of off shore power and New Jersey needs to pursue policies to facilitate the construction of wind turbines off our coast.Wind energy off our coast will help prevent future black outs and make our grid more reliable," said Jeff Tittel."We have the Saudi Arabia of wind off our coast. We can grow our economy and create jobs while protecting our environment and grid." The Governor has taken monies from the Clean Energy Fund and stopped our participation in RGGI, costing us millions of dollars that could have supported wind projects off our coast.Christie has diverted $63 million of the money New Jersey has received from RGGI for the budget.He diverted $279 million from the Clean Energy Fund this year and $650 million from various clean energy funding mechanisms for the budget while in office. The Attorney General's office is dragging its feet on the wind rules, delaying needed language to ensure money that should go to wind projects could not be diverted to close budget gaps. The Governor's inaction is stopping projects that have federal approvals from moving forward.Fisherman's Energy has received federal approval and funding but no state support or approval from the BPU for their small project off the coast of Atlantic City.The Governor claimed the federal government was holding up offshore wind but now we see that is not the case.Projects and the jobs they create will move to other states that are doing more to advance their offshore wind programs. It took nine years for Cape Wind to get approvals and although they have proposed fast tracking it has not been implemented yet.New Jersey should be proposing similar incentives to move our state towards a clean energy economy to create jobs and keep energy money within New Jersey.
"The Governor says he supports wind while doing nothing to advance wind.It seems to have become part of his overall plan to go after clean energy along with pulling out of RGGI, lowering our renewable goals in the Energy Master Plan and diverting clean energy monies while subsidizing fossil fuel power lines and power plants," said Jeff Tittel. We are concerned the Governor is delaying action on offshore wind to boost his national political profile with big polluters.
"The Governor says he supports wind while he does everything to undermine making wind off our coast a reality.He tries to play it both ways, telling New Jerseyans he supports wind while telling the Koch Brothers and Tea Party types he is doing everything he can to stop wind," said Jeff Tittel. Last year BOEMRE received proposals for close to 12,500 MW of wind off our coasts, three times the goal in the original Energy Master Plan (EMP).If half of these projects happen, that would be 40% of New Jersey's energy produced by off-shore wind.That does not include solar, geothermal or any other renewables.
"We need to make wind a reality off our coast.We only have two choices for our future: more coal and offshore oil or offshore wind. Wind is the right choice for more job growth, a healthy environment, and less dependence on polluting fossil fuels," said Jeff Tittel.
-- Kate Millsaps Conservation Program Coordinator NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club 609-656-7612