Wind Power Opponents Throw Down the Gauntlet in New Jersey

Federal lawsuit timed to give more teeth to Trump's expected executive actions

Suddenly, the opponents of a massive offshore wind project that could be located a little more than eight miles off the Jersey Shore appear to have the wind at their back. 

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a South New Jersey Republican representing several beach communities, has reportedly joined with President Trump to craft an executive order that would terminate the project. Van Drew’s efforts coincide with a unique federal lawsuit that a grassroots group of citizen activists located in and around Long Beach Island (LBI) filed on January 13. 

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to end offshore wind initiatives. Van Drew views the planned executive order as the first step in a larger plan that would effectively impose a moratorium on any future East Coast projects. The Save LBI coalition, which includes homeowners and business owners, cited a wide range environmental laws in its suit filed against a slew of federal agencies. 

The Biden-Harris Interior Department had approved the Atlantic Shores South offshore wind energy project last July. The company has proposed up to 200 total wind turbine generators and up to ten offshore substations with subsea transmission cables. But that figure could rise. 

(Read more: The Top 10 Executive Orders Trump Should Sign on Inauguration Day)

First of Its Kind Lawsuit

“This lawsuit serves as the first of its kind, launching a wide-ranging challenge against Atlantic Shores’ federal approvals, based on violations of environmental statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and the Clean Air Act,” Thomas Stavola, Jr., Esq., the attorney representing Save LBI, said in a press release. “We believe we have organized a compelling case that will demonstrate that these federal agencies were derelict in their respective duties to take critical information into account, and moreover, made arbitrary assumptions that entirely failed to disclose and consider the injurious impacts of the Atlantic Shores South project.”

Trump has described windmills as “an economic and environmental disaster” on his Truth Social account. He has also said he doesn’t want any new windmills built during his administration. Van Drew, a Democrat turned Republican, could be taking the lead on one of the Trump administration’s earliest initiatives. 

Save LBI has packed its website with information warning residents about the potential economic and environmental fallout from the project. One of the slide presentations shows how large the windmills would be in comparison to familiar objects. The windmills would be larger than the Statute of Liberty and Washington Monument, according to the presentation. The citizen activist group has also published fresh estimates showing the windmills could be up to 1046 feet tall, a size that exceeds Atlantic City hotels and rivals the height of many skyscrapers. 

On the economic front, Save LBI offers up some sobering statistics:

This project will devastate local economy, property values and businesses. NJ electric rates will increase due to this project:

22% for residential, 27% commercial and 32% industrial. $53+ Billion above market prices. 

25% loss in Tourist visits to LBI.
 

$450+ Million in lost revenue, 5300+ in lost jobs
 

$1.3 Billion loss in value for oceanfront properties.

Save the Whales

On the environmental front, SAVE LBI warns that airborne noise at the shoreline from foundation pile driving and turbine operation will almost certainly be audible at the shore and harmful to residents. The citizen activists have also accumulated evidence indicating that the wind project is disrupting the migration corridors for the right whale, an endangered species. 

“The agencies assume, incorrectly, that no North Atlantic right whales will suffer injury or death as a result of the Atlantic Shores South project," Bob Stern, the Save LBI president, said in a press release. "The evidence contradicts that assumption. In fact, our review and independent mathematical analysis shows a systematic underestimation of impact, and clearly indicate that the noise caused by pile driving, and, soon after, perpetual operational noise, will injure and kill high numbers of marine mammals, and, yes, injure and kill a number of North Atlantic right whales, a critically endangered animal that cannot afford to suffer any deaths given their numbers are now less than 340 total.”

The overarching goal of the lawsuit is to have all federal approvals rescinded and the Atlantic Shores South project halted. Eight other co-plaintiffs have joined Save LBI in the litigation.

(Read more: How the Left’s Global Warming Ideology Wrecked Science—And How to Stop It)

Kevin Mooney is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in energy policy, environmentalist groups, and dark money. He writes regularly for the American Spectator, Washington Examiner, Daily CallerDaily Signaland National Review. Kevin is the author of an upcoming book on the climate change movement and American independence.

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