PHOTOS: Beachgoers lock hands, protest offshore wind development in large-scale Jersey Shore demonstration

July 16, 2023 Matt Rooney Environmentalism 0

Hundreds (or more?) of anti-offshore windfarm protesters flocked to their favorite shore point beaches, walked down to the waterline, and locked arms on Saturday, Save Jerseyans, in one of the largest New Jersey political protests in recent memory.

33 individual beach locations – ranging from Stone Harbor and Wildwood down south to Asbury Park and Point Pleasant further up the coast – hosted demonstrations for the larger “Hands Across the Beaches” coastal rally hosted by Save the East Coast, Protect Our Coast, and Save LBI.

Some of the mini-demonstrates attracted large crowds, and in many cases previously uninvolved sunbathers left their beach chairs to spontaneously join in the effort.

The coordinated events come as the summer season is heating up as well as the growing number of legal battles related to the struggle over offshore wind farm development. Earlier this month, the Biden Administration approved “Ocean Wind 1,” a 98-turbine only a handful of nautical miles from Cape May, and the New Jersey legislature voted to bail out the primary foreign-owned developer.

A growing chorus of experts and average citizens believe the project is not only bad for the environment and Jersey Shore vistas but also fiscally indefensible.

“For Ocean Wind I, I estimate that a typical residential customer will pay an additional $26 per year,” Dr. Jonathan Lesser of the Manhattan Institute explained in a recent Save Jersey op-ed. “Of course, if Ørsted succeeds in renegotiating its existing contract, which will force New Jerseyans to pay $98 per megawatt-hour the first year Ocean Wind I generates electricity – rising to $148 per MWh in the contract’s final year – a typical residential customer will pay even more for the privilege of seeing dead whales and dolphins washing up on New Jersey beaches. Plus, customers will pay for all of the backup electricity needed for the majority of hours in the year when the wind doesn’t blow.”

Here’s just a sample of Saturday’s scenes via social media users who attended:

https://twitter.com/LaurenCremins/status/1680244290901929987

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Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8537 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.