People packed into a Toms River hotel Thursday to hear about offshore wind plans from officials with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The open house hearing focused on the expected environmental impacts of developing six new offshore wind projects in the New York Bight. The federal agency is about eight months from releasing an environmental impact statement regarding these projects, which it says could create enough energy to power more than 2 million homes.
BOEM is taking a regional approach to deciding whether to approve these proposed projects; that’s different from the typical process that evaluates proposals individually. Federal officials say the regional approach will ensure that offshore wind is being responsibly developed in a region that also has high shipping traffic, important fishing grounds and habitat for protected species of marine life.
The Toms River hearing drew a crowd of supporters and opponents of offshore wind. BOEM is taking public comments on the proposed projects until Feb. 26.
