To the editor from Steve Sweeney, President, New Jersey Senate.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities last week decided again to block a wind energy project off the coast of Atlantic City. The wind project off the coast of Atlantic City should be under construction by now, pumping money into the local economy. This project is not only great for the environment, but once construction begins, would bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to the region.
Over three years ago we passed legislation that was meant to make New Jersey the national leader in wind and renewable energy. It meant hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs for our state in a time of economic uncertainty. But three years later, even though the bill was signed into law, nothing has happened to make this a reality. New Jerseyans have suffered because of this inaction.
Why, given the financial crisis that Atlantic City is in, would you vote down a proposal by a company to spend money in Atlantic City, and diversify the city?
Atlantic City is not going to survive on casinos alone, and they have the potential here to build something that the world will be interested in, and to really make a claim to being the Clean Energy Capital of the nation.
We are losing jobs in the financial sector and venture capitalism for funding and investing in wind. And we will keep losing them the longer we delay. By holding back on wind, the BPU will potentially cost New Jersey thousands of jobs that will go to other states. The BPU needs to get this done.
Steve Sweeney
President, New Jersey Senate
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