New Jersey Administrative Code › Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS › Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE › Section - Executive Order No. 307 (2022)

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
Governor Philip D. Murphy
Executive Order No. 307 (2022)
An Order Increasing Offshore Wind Goals to 11,000 MW by 2040
Issued: September 21, 2022.
Effective: September 21, 2022.
WHEREAS, New Jersey is and must continue to be a national leader in the production of renewable energy; and
WHEREAS, my Administration took office with a commitment to jumpstart the offshore wind industry in New Jersey given our State's ideal geographic location; and
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 8 (2018) called upon the Board of Public Utilities ("BPU"), the Department of Environmental Protection ("DEP"), and any other State agencies with responsibilities arising under the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act ("OWEDA") to take all necessary actions to implement OWEDA and meet the goal I established of 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation by the year 2030, which would be sufficient to power up to 1.5 million homes; and
WHEREAS, in February 2018, my Administration established the New Jersey Offshore Wind Interagency Taskforce, comprised of BPU, DEP, the Economic Development Authority ("EDA"), the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, to work collaboratively to support my offshore wind agenda and establish a vibrant offshore wind market in our State and the Mid-Atlantic region; and
WHEREAS, in September 2018, the BPU issued a solicitation for 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation; and
WHEREAS, in September 2018, I called on the BPU to consider two future solicitations for 1,200 megawatts of offshore wind generation to take place in 2020 and 2022, providing visibility for offshore wind developers, suppliers, and stakeholders; and
WHEREAS, in January 2019, the EDA opened applications for its Offshore Wind Tax Credit Program intended to attract investment into New Jersey's offshore wind industry; and
WHEREAS, in June 2019, the BPU awarded 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind capacity to Orsted's Ocean Wind I project, which was the largest single-state procurement of offshore wind electricity generation capacity in the United States at that time; and
WHEREAS, in November 2019, I signed Executive Order No. 92 rescinding the target of 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation by 2030 and establishing a new goal of 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation by 2035; and
WHEREAS, in January 2020, the BPU released the State's 2019 Energy Master Plan, which outlines key strategies to reach my Administration's goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, including recommendations for the continued development of offshore wind energy as a key component of the State's clean energy portfolio; and
WHEREAS, in February 2020, I announced an offshore wind solicitation schedule to achieve the goal of 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035, which provided for a second solicitation of 1,200 megawatts to be issued in the third quarter of 2020, a third solicitation of 1,200 megawatts to be issued in the third quarter of 2022, a fourth solicitation of 1,200 megawatts to be issued in the second quarter of 2024, a fifth solicitation of 1,400 megawatts to be issued in the second quarter of 2026, and a sixth solicitation of 1,400 megawatts to be issued in the first quarter of 2028; and
WHEREAS, in June 2020, I announced a plan to develop the New Jersey Wind Port in Lower Alloways Creek, Salem County, construction for which began in September 2021, as the first purpose-built offshore wind port in the United States, with the potential to create up to 1,500 jobs and $ 500 million in economic activity, including marshaling the Ocean Wind I project as announced by Orsted Offshore North America and the EDA in April 2022; and
WHEREAS, in September 2020, the BPU issued its second offshore wind solicitation, and in June 2021 awarded a total of 2,658 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, the largest combined offshore wind award in the nation at the time, to two projects, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, to be developed by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind 1, LLC, a joint venture between EDF-RE Offshore Development, LLC and Shell New Energies US LLC, and Ocean Wind II, to be developed by Orsted's Ocean Wind II, LLC; and
WHEREAS, also in September 2020, the BPU issued the New Jersey Offshore Wind Strategic Plan, developed together with DEP as I directed in Executive Order No. 8 (2018), to serve as New Jersey's roadmap to achieving the goal of 7,500 megawatts by 2035, and which addresses the need for assessing community impacts, including those within overburdened environmental justice communities; and
WHEREAS, the EDA, with over $ 11 million in clean energy program funding from BPU in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, and in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, has launched numerous offshore wind workforce development programs, including grants to public four-year universities, community colleges, and technical high schools for programs to prepare New Jersey residents for participation in a range of occupations in the offshore wind industry; and
WHEREAS, in December 2020, I announced an investment of $ 250 million in a state-of-art manufacturing facility at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal in Gloucester County to build steel monopiles, an offshore wind turbine component, to serve the entire U.S. offshore wind industry; and
WHEREAS, in April 2021, the BPU, in collaboration with regional grid operator PJM Interconnection, LLC, issued a competitive solicitation for transmissions solutions to help deliver offshore wind energy to the existing power grid; and
WHEREAS, in February 2022, the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ("BOEM") held an auction for six offshore wind lease areas, totaling more than 480,000 acres and capable of supporting 5.6 to 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, off New York and New Jersey in the area known as the New York Bight, which auction included lease stipulations designed to promote the development of a robust domestic U.S. supply chain for offshore wind and enhance engagement with underserved communities, the commercial fishing industry, and other ocean users; and
WHEREAS, around this time, New Jersey, together with BOEM and the State of New York, released a shared vision statement to develop a robust offshore wind domestic supply chain that will deliver benefits to residents in the region, including underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, my Administration, led by the DEP, continues to participate in regional and national scientific consortia and engage in outreach with New Jersey's fishing industry and conservation community to facilitate responsible offshore wind development that considers the needs of New Jersey's commercial and recreational fishing industries and ensures that natural resources are protected throughout all stages of offshore wind energy development and generation; and
WHEREAS, because of these efforts, offshore wind development is a growing economic sector in the State with increases in supply chain presence, private investment in ports, workforce development efforts, and research and development for offshore wind industry and labor; and
WHEREAS, offshore wind has the potential to deliver the scale of clean, renewable energy generation needed to meet the State's goals of 50 percent clean energy by 2030 and 100 percent clean energy by 2050, in addition to creating a significant number of good-paying jobs; and
WHEREAS, continuing to expand the State's offshore wind energy generation goals will ensure we achieve these clean energy goals and further strengthen New Jersey's economy;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
1. Paragraph 2 of Executive Order No. 92 (2019), which established a goal of 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation by the year 2035, is hereby rescinded.
2. The BPU, the DEP, the EDA, and all other New Jersey State agencies with responsibilities arising under OWEDA shall take all necessary actions to implement OWEDA in order to promote and realize the development of wind energy off the coast of New Jersey to meet a goal of 11,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation by the year 2040.
3. The BPU shall undertake to study the feasibility and benefits of further increasing the goal stated in paragraph 2 of this Order, and shall provide me with recommendations, no later than one year from the effective date of this Order, for an updated target that will further support the achievement of New Jersey's clean energy goal and the continued growth of the offshore wind industry in the State and the good-paying jobs associated with the industry.
4. This Order shall take effect immediately.