Undersea transmission cables are sparking a fight over offshore wind in New Jersey, where wind opponents have a history of spreading false claims.
The cables would connect about 190 wind turbines from the Atlantic Shores South wind project to onshore grid infrastructure. But a handful of residents are opposing the planned power lines, pointing to debunked claims that the electric and magnetic field (EMF) would pose a cancer risk.
“Our group is focused on the cables … and the whole way this [project] comes on shore,” said Kimberly Paterson, founder of Stop the High Risk Power Cables. “The biggest concern is being assured that this is safe.”
Paterson lives in Sea Girt, a quaint shore town known for tourism and sprawling Victorian vacation homes. She started the group after residents received a postcard in the mail about the planned cables from Mike Dean, the founder of the New Jersey-based nonprofit Save the East Coast, which opposes offshore wind.
