NJ lawmakers narrowly pass bill with millions in wind power tax breaks
New Jersey legislators barely approved a bill Friday that handed millions of dollars in tax breaks to a foreign-based offshore wind power company — a move Republicans, commercial fishermen and activists have all opposed for its generous subsidies and potentially harmful environmental consequences.
The legislation allows Orsted, a Danish wind turbine producer, to use federal tax credits for its Ocean Wind 1 building project near Atlantic City, which is expected to power more than 500,000 households, according to reports.
Orsted must place a $200 million guarantee into state coffers, which will accrue $2.40 annually for every New Jersey ratepayer.
That could put Orsted’s cumulative tax credits as high as $1 billion, according to state Sen. Ed Durr (R-Gloucester).
May that cables running offshore to power the turbines were “a dire threat” to several fish species vital to the business.Republicans had called for a 60-day pause on the wind projects to study the whale death phenomenon, but say they were ignored.
With Post wires
Comments
Post a Comment