2nd Hands Across The Beach To Raise Awareness Of Off Shore Wind Issues
An event on the Jersey Shore on Sunday, July 14th aims to raise the publics’ awareness of the issues involved with off shore wind generation policy. The event is being called, “Hands Across The Beach”. It intends to be a peaceful gathering of citizens concerned about the effect of wind power generation off the coast of the Jersey Shore. It is the second event of its’ kind, with the first occurring in 2023.
Hands Across The Beach: Details
When: Sunday, July 14, 2024 at 12 noon.
What: Joining hands at the water’s edge at about noon.
Where: Multiple beaches in Monmouth and Ocean Counties (see the full list below)
Who: Save the Dolphins and Whales, NJ
Hands Across The Beach: Why
The organizers of the “Hands Across The Beach” maintain that there is a cause and effect relationship between the offshore wind projects currently planned for the waters off the Jersey Shore. They maintain that erecting the wind turbines in the ocean is a direct threat to marine life. Not only are the turbines a threat to marine life, the organizers of “Hands Across The Beach” maintain that they will lead to a negatively impact Jersey shore economies by decreasing tourism while also increasing in taxes and utility costs for local residents.
Participating Beach Locations
The organizers of the “Hands Across The Beach” event have listed the following locations for like-minded citizens to participate:
- Asbury Park – 7th ave beach (meet in front of food trucks)
- Barnegat Light – 25th street; 30th street
- Beach Haven – Centre Street
- Belmar – 20th Avenue, meet on boardwalk
- Ocean City – 14th street
- Point Pleasant – Maryland Ave beach
- Seaside Park – in front of the Sawmill
- Sea Girt – Philadelphia Blvd
- Stone Harbor – 96th Street
They have listed other towns as participating in the event, but do not have a specific meet up point at the time of this article. Those towns are: Atlantic City, Brant Beach, Brigantine, Cape May, Manasquan Beach, Mantoloking, North Wildwood, Sea Isle City, Ship Bottom, Surf City, Wildwood Crest. Following the organizers social media pages may provide details on updates on locations.
For the organizers of this event, offshore wind energy is a “hard stop”. Quoting organizer Doug Johnstone who contacted WRAT about the event:
We believe that there are no responsible approaches to harness Offshore wind along the Jersey Shore and East Coast. There are other methods to attain energy which are more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly to the state and local environment. Additionally, offshore wind generation creates significantly greater harm to the environment than those of global warming.
Mr. Johnstone
*WRAT does not take a position on the claims of the organizers of Hands Across The Beach which were presented without credit or references. We’re here to report the event to you.
