LD9 State Representatives Christopher Connors, Brian Rumpf, and DiAnne Gove emailed a newsletter last week where they proudly proclaimed to oppose the upcoming wind farm project. They claim to do so because of three issues: the marine life deaths, the recreational industry, and the fishing industry. All three concerns have zero merit and based, from what I can tell, on talking points trumped up by the oil industry opposing good clean energy solutions.

The wind farms won’t be visible from the shoreline, for the most part, and will not impact the beaches or rentals and hotels; never mind the fact that most New Jersey voters strongly support wind energy: https://newjerseyop.org/new-jersey-voters-strongly-support-offshore-wind-energy-survey-shows/. 

To connect the wind farm to the marine animals dying is heinous and grossly misrepresents the actual causes of these occurrences. Most creatures have shown up with propeller injuries from large ships that carry all types of commerce, waste, and fuel. I don’t see the State Representatives opposing oil tankards from traversing our shores. These wind farms will actually benefit ALL animals with less pollution and cleaner water and air.

The fishing industry impact is a non-starter – there are fears, but very little actual facts in the State Reps’ statement. We actually have proof, from the first ever wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, that the opposite is true: https://electrek.co/2022/04/18/the-first-us-offshore-wind-farm-has-had-no-negative-effect-on-fish-finds-groundbreaking-study/. Our coastal waters have long been used as a dumping ground for pollutants; the State Reps make no mention of that, although that has caused serious damage to the fishing industry in the past.

In fact, they haven’t shown this level of concern when past industries destroyed our local ecosystems. The wind farms look to be far less invasive than a nuclear power plant or strip mining, both of which are prevalent in our area; not to mention the acres and acres that are mowed down for strip malls, storage units and industrial parks, which create massive death and destruction to wildlife.

And how ironic is it that Republicans have, all of a sudden, become so concerned about industry damaging the environment: they have no problem with “drill baby drill” but God forbid we make concessions for clean energy. What’s next? Tree hugging? Joining Greenpeace? Connors, Rumpf, and Gove are engaging in nothing more than theatrical politicking. And they are walking away from thousands of jobs and millions in revenue in the process. Wind farms are good business and good for the environment. They are a win for LD 9.