Project To Make New Jersey Leader In Off-Shore Wind Energy Gets Rejected
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- South Jersey officials and environmentalists are scratching their head over this week's decision by the Board of Public Utilities to reject a wind farm off of Atlantic City. The project had been on track to become the country's first off-shore wind project.
New Jersey seemed gung ho to develop off-shore wind energy in 2010, with a new law to encourage it and ambitious targets in Governor Chris Christie's master energy plan.
A group of South Jersey fishermen answered the call. As "Fisherman's Energy," they began work on the pilot project and expected to leap ahead of stalled efforts in other states.
But then BPU started a review process that lasted two years and ended last Wednesday in rejection.
"Why the BPU went to such extraordinary lengths to deny this project is unknown to us," says Fishermen's Energy CEO Chris Wisseman.
Wisseman says the denial is inconsistent with everything in the record and the company is considering appealing.
