What Happened to New Jersey's Wind Power Plans?

A few years ago, New Jersey’s political leaders laid out a vision: acres of giant wind turbines, rising like a modern flotilla in the Atlantic, their white blades spun by ocean gusts, generating clean renewable energy just beyond the horizon at the Jersey Shore.

Governor Christie and other state policymakers set ambitious goals to develop New Jersey’s huge potential as a leader in offshore wind energy.

But due to a combination of factors, New Jersey’s bid to become a trailblazer in offshore wind energy appears to have stalled.

The state Board of Public Utilities has repeatedly rejected a proposal by Fishermen’s Energy to build a small wind farm off the coast of Atlantic City as a pilot project. And five years after the Legislature directed it to do so, the board has yet to complete an essential funding mechanism for offshore wind projects that would guarantee a buyer for the energy they produce.