With the election just around the corner, Senate President Nick Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin are now questioning “the costs and impacts of offshore wind projects”, breaking with Governor Murphy who is moving full speed ahead to implement his extreme energy plan in the Garden State.

As New Jersey 101.5 reports,

• The senate president and assembly speaker say they are concerned with the “approach” the BPU is taking in speeding the projects along.
• Both legislative leaders said the BPU should be able to share the “impacts with the communities affected and the legislature before moving forward with these new offshore projects.”
• Neither Scutari nor Coughlin offered criticism of Gov. Phil Murphy, but it is Murphy who has been pressuring the board to move quickly to ramp up the number of wind energy projects off the Jersey shore.
• Given the potential impact on the November elections, this may simply be an attempt by Democratic leadership to give their members cover.

If it wasn’t an election year, would Senate President Scutari and Speaker Coughlin still bring up the potential harm offshore wind projects have on the state just to try to save their majorities or continue to side with Murphy to push through extreme green policies at the expense of marine wildlife?

“If New Jersey Democrat leadership was actually worried about protecting marine wildlife, they would join Republicans and pause offshore wind projects immediately. Instead, they’re simply offering empty rhetoric and playing political games to cover for their most vulnerable members up for re-election this fall.” –RSLC Spokesperson Stephanie Rivera