Holding hands and waving placards just doesn’t cut it. If you want to protect the environment or your community from the industrial wind power onslaught, then litigate.
In this post, we contrast a community off the coast of New South Wales, Australia where a rally of surfers gathered to stave off the threat of an enormous industrial offshore wind factory.
As the sun set the surfers dispersed (catching a few waves first) and after a few beers congratulated themselves on standing up to the wind power outfit concerned and its government enablers. The latter group will merrily dismiss the ‘concerns’ expressed by the momentarily angered board riders. Not to downplay their efforts, but the only change they might effect is on local public attitudes. Which might, just might, convert into votes adverse to the incumbent MP at an election years from now. Well, as the Americans say, “good luck with that!”
The next story provides a complete contrast, with Danish offshore wind power outfit, Orsted dropping plans for two enormous offshore projects, in consequence of persistent and long-running litigation mounted by New Jersey locals.
True enough the economic conditions for offshore wind never been worse, with many other projects being shelved because they simply do not stack up. However, being belted in a series of court cases – led with the support of retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge, Michael J Donohue – appears to be the straw that broke Orsted’s resolve to wreck another swathe of the Atlantic coast.
The takeaway is that litigation is the best (if not only) way you can protect your community and environment from the destruction wrought by industrial wind power. So, get them into court and fight!
Rally against wind farm generates major public support
MSN
Kathryn Magann
31 October 2023
Hundreds of surfers have paddled out into the turquoise seas off the NSW south coast to create a giant ring of solidarity in opposition to a wind farm the government wants to build 10 kilometres offshore.
Thousands more people covered the grassy surrounds of Wollongong Head Lighthouse at Flagstaff Point on Sunday to rally against the proposal some have dubbed an “environmental diaster waiting to happen”.
About 25,000 flyers promoting the rally were handed out by members of the Coalition Against Offshore Wind urging residents to support the cause.
The federal government wants to build a 1461 square kilometre site at least 10 km from the shore, out to 30 kilometres at Kiama, saying it will deliver jobs and clean energy for NSW.
Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says Australia has some of the best wind resources in the world, including at Wollongong but has no offshore wind farms.
“This presents a huge economic opportunity for the regions that help power Australia,” he said.
The government argues the site will generate up to 4.2 gigawatts of power, enough to supply as many as 3.4 million homes, but locals say the impact to ocean life would be devastating.
Concerns include the threat to migrating whales and sea birds, as well as unknown impacts on the seabed.
Another major complaint is how the turbines would change the look of the coal coast.
The public consultation period has recently been extended by 30 days until November 15
Signs with “Saving the planet does not mean destroying the ocean”, were held aloft, with the local member for Kiama, Gareth Ward, spotted among the crowd.
MSN
Now, to the US, where they fight hard and win!
In the Face of Unrelenting Opposition from Cape May County, Orsted Abandons Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two Projects
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Cape May County Government
1 November 2023
CAPE MAY COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: At approximately 3 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on an earnings call from its Headquarters in Copenhagen, the Danish offshore wind corporation Orsted, announced that it is abandoning its Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two offshore wind projects off the coast of Cape May County, New Jersey.
The announcement comes after more than two years of aggressive and unrelenting legal and public opposition led by the County of Cape May. The last straw for Orsted appears to have been the filing by the County and multiple private sector Plaintiffs of a massive, unprecedented federal lawsuit challenging federal permits issued for the Orsted Ocean Wind One project.
“This is a great day for the people and businesses of Cape May County,” said County Commission Director Len Desiderio. “This is a great day for the Atlantic Ocean. This is a great day for the whales and dolphins. The massive, reckless experiment known as Ocean Wind One has been stopped and Ocean Wind Two abandoned. There were many who consistently told us that we were wasting our time, that there was nothing we could do about the project being built. Well, I am happy that the County Board of Commissioners and so many in our business community and the grassroots groups that have been protesting did not listen to the naysayers.
We are a small county down here at the southernmost point of New Jersey, but we knew all along that our economy, our environment, our very way of life was at stake. Orsted has walked away from Ocean Wind One, but we are not walking away from this fight. We intend to redouble our efforts to ensure that our horizon remains free of massive offshore industrialization.”
Orsted CEO Mads Nipper told investors that Orsted was walking away from the Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two projects because, “Orsted has taken the decision to cease the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects…Orsted has updated its view on certain assumptions, including tax credit monetization and the timing and likelihood of final construction permits.”
“There is no doubt that our efforts played a significant role in Orsted’s decision to abandon Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two,” said Former New Jersey Superior Court Judge, Michael J. Donohue, of the law firm of Blaney, Donohue & Weinberg in Avalon, New Jersey, who serves as Special Counsel on Offshore Wind to Cape May County. “When we began opposing Orsted’s actions more than two years ago, they said we were wasting our time. Many friends and adversaries throughout this fight took to referring to me as Don Quixote and told us we were as crazy as he was. But there was too much at stake to give up. They said there was nothing that could stop the Ocean Wind One project.
When we litigated before the Board of Public Utilities, they told us we were irresponsible for opposing something that was a fait accompli. When we made Orsted sue us in order to get road permits and file easements, they said we were being unreasonable. When we filed appeals to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court, we were told we were wasting the Court’s time. Without all of these actions by the County of Cape May, Orsted’s path forward would have been much more attractive.
Economic factors certainly impacted Orsted’s decision to abandon Ocean Wind One. But there can be no doubt that after all that was done by the County over the past two years, when the County of Cape May, the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce, the Wildwood Hotel and Motel Association and a group of brave businesses from our Fisheries community had the courage to file an unprecedented federal lawsuit challenging Orsted’s federal permits, it is clear that the situation became untenable for them. Hundreds of thousands of acres of the Atlantic Ocean environment, as well as our local tourism and fisheries economies have been saved as a result.”
Along with Donohue’s firm, Blaney, Donohue & Weinberg, the County enlisted Roger and Nancie Marzulla of the Marzulla Law Firm of Washington, D.C., Dan Ginolfi and Howard Marlowe of Warwick Consulting of Washington, D.C., Anthony Bocchi of the Cullen Dykman law firm’s Hackensackoffice, and the attorneys of Cultural Heritage Partners of Richmond, Virginia.
“I want to commend Judge Donohue for the unrelenting effort he has put in coordinating our legal and public relations efforts. Our litigation approach has been forceful and unprecedented. Our media campaign has spread the news of Cape May County’s efforts around the world. There is no doubt that without the County of Cape May’s efforts on the legal and media fronts, along with our private sector partners and the grassroots organizations, Orsted would not have felt such significant pressure to abandon the Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two projects.
I also want to thank Congressman Jeff Van Drew for his passionate and unceasing efforts on our behalf, on the federal level. This is a great story of how a community pulled together against extremely powerful forces and ended up prevailing in the protection of our environment, our economy and our way of life.”
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STOP THESE THINGS 
Agree – gofundme lawsuits need to be enacted
Albanese took the tarriffs off Chinese wind towers and solar panels so he could become known as a handsome boy by the Chinese. Did he save face.
That’s one battle won but victory is yet to be had.
I am really concerned with who will pick up the tab when the operators of these ind farms on both land and sea go belly up. It will happen.
I can see the poor old mug taxpayer picking up the clean up costs yet again.
Our politicians need a really good “thanking” for their participation in this scam.
“Our politicians need a really good “thanking” for their participation in this scam.”
In Ontario, the Liberal government responsible for the incursion of these industrial wind turbines in rural communities was decimated- lost their party status.
The Conservative government, elected because they promised to protect rural residents impacted, still haven’t turned off the turbines…not even the ones too close to residents’ homes. Do they want to be lose their party status too?