Against the wind

As millions sought comfort in the cool sea breezes along the Jersey Shore this summer, they probably didn't know that just over the horizon, barges were hauling heavy equipment and materials to Rhode Island so it could become the first state to harness the potential of offshore wind energy.

That distinction should have belonged to New Jersey, which was on track to be the national leader until Gov. Christie changed course. Five years ago, Christie signed a bill to speed creation of an offshore wind farm. But since then, he has aggressively undermined the project, apparently to court the fossil-fuel industry as he prepared for his Republican presidential campaign. The state Board of Public Utilities has twice rejected a proposal to erect five turbines about three miles off the Atlantic City coast.

The BPU finally indicated this month that it might hire a consultant to help write the regulations required by the five-year-old legislation, which is a necessary step to enable wind projects to get financing. The revelation came during the state Senate's recent hearing to confirm Richard S. Mroz's reappointment as BPU president. Mroz was sharply criticized by legislators frustrated with the administration's sloth on alternative energy.

While New Jersey's efforts continue to falter, Rhode Island is erecting a wind farm off Block Island, which has suffered some of the highest electricity costs in the country due to its reliance on diesel generators.

Critics say wind energy is too costly, which was the basis of the BPU's rejection of the proposed Fishermen's Energy project. But the company estimates that customers would pay only $1 more a year. And that comparison does not account for the health and environmental costs of fossil fuels.

Coal alone costs this country at least $300 billion a year in health and environmental damage during its life cycle, from mining to burning to disposal, according to a 2011 Harvard study.

The Christie administration is only delaying the inevitable by dragging its feet on alternative energy. The state must reduce its reliance on polluting fuels to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's new Clean Power Plan by 2030.

New Jersey in particular should want to enable wind power along its 127-mile coastline given its vulnerability to the effects of global warming fueled by the burning of coal and petroleum. The state still hasn't fully recovered from Hurricane Sandy, and more extreme weather events and rising sea levels can be expected.

Unfortunately, New Jerseyans can't put much stock in vague promises that the BPU is ready to stop stalling. Mroz's announcement that the commission is considering hiring a wind consultant is hardly worth cheering. Maybe it will take Christie dropping his swooning presidential campaign to get a wind farm humming off the coast.