Officials bash offshore wind, claim no financial gain

WALL TOWNSHIP — During a committee meeting last Wednesday night, Aug. 28, Wall Township officials, particularly Mayor Kevin Orender and Township Attorney Sean Kean, voiced their long-awaited disapproval of a mass wind turbine project slated to hit the coast of New Jersey, the Atlantic Shores South Project.

The mayor and Kean, who is also an assemblyman, offered comments following a member of the public’s comments on the offshore wind project and its underground power cables, saying it would damage ecosystems and endanger the township’s youth.

“We’re fortunate that we’re surrounded by young families that are raising in our vicinity, five within 100 feet of our front door,” said resident William Wells to the dais. “However, we now have a Trojan horse that’s presenting itself in Wall Township, Manasquan and Sea Girt, and that’s the threat of high-risk power cables.”

The turbines are planned to be constructed 8.7 miles off the coast of Atlantic County, according to a record of decision from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on July 1. Export cables will connect to landfall locations in Atlantic City and the New Jersey National Guard Training Center, in Sea Girt; the cables are also expected to run underground through Wall Township, Manasquan and Howell.

“Our electric bills would go to three to four times the (amount) just to support those windmills,” said Orender later in the meeting. “It’s not gonna save any resident money. Why? Because we’re paying to have them built. How is that a win for us?”

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