Jersey Shore Residents Score Victory As Feds Revoke Offshore Wind Project Permits

It’s a massive win for Jersey Shore residents who have been fighting relentlessly against offshore wind power projects.

Federal officials revoked a permit for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind on Friday, potentially delaying New Jersey’s first offshore wind project, according to APP.

Environmental Appeals Court Judge Mary Kay Lynch ruled to send the Clean Air Act permit, issued last September, back to the EPA. The agency requested the review in February to reassess the project’s environmental impact, following President Donald Trump’s January memorandum withdrawing the outer continental shelf from offshore wind leases for further review.

In 2021, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind a contract for 1.5 megawatts of renewable energy off Atlantic City, but Friday’s court ruling now threatens the project’s future.

The APP report says that the EPA’s decision is the latest setback. In January, Shell, a project partner, withdrew, writing off $996 million in losses before its quarterly earnings report.

“Atlantic Shores is disappointed by the EPA’s decision to pull back its fully executed permit as regulatory certainty is critical to deploying major energy projects,” a company spokesperson said, emphasizing their commitment to “American energy dominance” and compliance with the permitting process.

Bob Stern of Save LBI, a group opposing the project, welcomed the ruling. The group had petitioned the federal government in October to review the permit. “That permit dealt with the air pollutant emissions from the project, particularly during the pile driving construction phase, and its impact on the air quality at the Brigantine National Wilderness Area where strict limits apply on air quality degradation,” Stern said.

Save LBI argued the air quality modeling was flawed, failing to account for emissions from offshore projects and not meeting procedural requirements. The wind farm, if built, would be about nine miles off the Jersey Shore at its closest point.

Stern concluded: “We are hopeful that other federal agencies, particularly the Interior Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will take note of this and reconsider their prior approvals, and (we) have written to both asking for that.”

Zero Hedge has observed similar efforts to fight the project near Brigantine, New Jersey, where residents have been vocal in their pushback against the project, erecting signs, affixing bumper stickers and even renting billboards to voice their opposition.