The Biden administration this week approved a major offshore wind project that former president Donald Trump said he’d veto if elected.
The Atlantic Shores South wind project would include the installation of 195 wind turbines at up to 10 offshore substations starting about nine miles off the coast of New Jersey. It’s set to generate power for nearly one million homes, the Department of Interior said. It still needs additional federal approvals and state permits before it becomes a reality.
Trump told his supporters at a MAGA rally in May that he’d stop the project “on day one,” Electrek reported.
“I hate wind,” Trump separately told the oil and gas industry executives at a campaign fundraiser in Palm Beach in April.
Under President Joe Biden, the federal government has approved 13 gigawatts worth of offshore wind projects that would power nearly five million homes, including the Atlantic Shores South wind project approved by the Department of Interior Tuesday.
“The Biden-Harris administration is building momentum every day for our clean energy future, and today’s milestone is yet another step toward our ambitious goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030,” the agency’s secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.
Opponents of the project, who are part of a nonprofit called Protect Our Coast-NJ, say the project hasn’t included enough public engagement or comprehensive research into the “true effects” of offshore wind on tourism, fisheries, wildlife, and coastal communities.
“POCNJ is opposed to any and all industrial exploitation of the coastal and marine ecosystem including, but not limited to, oil and gas exploration and drilling, mining and OSW [offshore wind] development,” the group said in testimony to Congress in January.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director, Elizabeth Klein, in support of the project, said it has followed “an intentional collaborative process.”
“At BOEM, our dedication to engaging with Tribal Nations, states, other government agencies, industry, environmental organizations, and ocean users remains paramount, ensuring responsible energy development while addressing community concerns and safeguarding our marine ecosystems,” she added.
By the numbers
5 million: Approximate number of homes that would be powered by offshore wind projects approved under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Interior
195: Number of wind turbines approved by the Department of Interior for the Atlantic Shores South wind project
2,800: Megawatts of electricity the project is expected to generate, powering up to 1 million homes
8.7: Miles from the shoreline where the wind turbines would start