Today, the New Jersey Wind Works Coalition issued the following statement in response to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) decision to scale back the State Agreement Approach (SAA) with PJM Interconnection. The move, which delays critical transmission infrastructure for the state’s offshore wind industry, comes amidst a challenging federal landscape and the fallout from previous state-level setbacks.

“There is no denying that Governor Sherrill has been dealt an incredibly difficult hand. Between a federal administration in Washington that has effectively declared war on clean energy and a previous administration in Trenton that walked away from a project in the ninth inning, the path forward for offshore wind has been unfairly obstructed.

President Trump’s relentless attacks on offshore wind are a transparent attempt to enrich his billionaire donors in the oil and gas industry at the expense of New Jersey’s environment and economy. Furthermore, the prior administration’s decision to abandon a project that could have been under construction today left our state in a vulnerable position.

Despite these hurdles, we know that offshore wind remains New Jersey's most powerful tool to lead on clean energy, lower utility prices for working families, and create thousands of high-quality, union jobs. We cannot afford to let this moment pass. We need the Sherrill administration to focus on making New Jersey “shovel ready” by doubling down on our supply change and creating a regulatory environment that prioritizes bringing responsibly developed offshore wind online quickly.

When the political winds change in Washington, New Jersey must be prepared to lead the nation. We must ensure that our state is ready to deploy this clean energy source as soon as possible, providing long-term relief and a more sustainable future for every New Jerseyan.”