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Tempers flare in Cape May anti-offshore wind demonstration - Press of Atlantic City

Press of Atlantic City · last updated October 9, 2023 – 4:34 AM

Tempers flare in Cape May anti-offshore wind demonstration

CAPE MAY — As the sun set Sunday night at the Cove, tensions rose at what was another strong showing for opponents to offshore wind farms.

About 100 people gathered on a cold, windy evening at the southern-most point of New Jersey to keep the light on the fight against offshore wind companies with a cairn lighting.

But one man spoke our after U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, rallied the crowd against windmills, questioning everyone there if they truly believe whales are dying as a result off offshore wind site preparation work.

Mark Heany, a city resident since 1995, was met with shouts of disapproval after he interrupted the lineup of speakers. A few people got in his face to argue. Four Cape May police officers, who were there to make sure things stayed peaceful, intervened as Heaney and others argued just inches apart.

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"I'm asking questions," Heany told police, who allowed both sides to argue as long as nothing turned physical, which it didn't.

At one point, Heany gave another man his address after a few threats were exchanged. Heany, who said he learned of the event earlier in the day, expected to be met with vitriol.

"I'm not diplomatic about it. In fact, I don't give a (expletive) what other people think. If they're wrong, I'm gonna tell them they're (expletive) wrong," said Heany, 52, who supports offshore wind. "... This one, for me, is a big one, because wind is the only clean alternative we have to our ever-increasing energy demands that we have."

Cape May was one of 617 sites in 24 countries to hold a cairn lighting. A cairn is a human-made pile of stones raised for a cause and usually set on fire. Cape May's lighting was a bit more symbolic than literal.

Since fires are not allowed on the beaches in Cape May, a small rock and shell pile was created with electric tea lights. Closer to the water's edge was a giant whale tail carved into the sand and outlined with white Christmas lights.

Each October, ocean advocates and industrial wind activists in Norway hold "Nasjonal vardetenning mot vindkraft,” which translates to "national cairn ignition against wind power," organizers from the group Save the East Coast said. The event stems from days of old when Norwegians lit cairns on hilltops to warn of dangers in the world.

Today, these groups light cairns and bonfires to warn of what they say are the dangers of industrial wind power. This year's event marked Norway's fifth anniversary celebrating this international event.

Jamie Steiert, who organized the event, said it's important that people who live along the East Coast learn from what those in Europe have been battling for years.

"The genesis of this event was an invitation from Norway," said Steiert, 53, of Cape May Court House. "Norway and multiple other European countries are fighting the same fight. Incidentally, they're fighting this because of their experience."

Ørsted, a Danish energy company, plans to build the first offshore wind farm in New Jersey. It has been met with much opposition since it announced those plans in October 2017.

Steiert felt Cape May has been a little too quiet over the past year, especially with the county's prominent fishing industry.

"We're just trying to bring awareness and also let the fishermen know we support them and that we're gonna do everything we can to stop (offshore wind farms)," she added.

A few organizations were represented Sunday, including Save the East Coast and Protect Our Coast NJ, both having been vocal this past year against offshore wind farms. Both consist of residents, homeowners, business owners, fishermen and visitors who aim stop the development of offshore wind energy off the New Jersey coast.

Speaking out

Several people spoke Sunday, including Van Drew, state Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, and several owners and representatives from fisheries.

"Not a lot of people really understand the magnitude of fisheries," said Wayne Reichle, one of the owners of Lund's Fisheries Inc. in Cape May. "We're not the only family. There are several families here, fishing families and fish processors that reside here in your backyard. In this case, it's been ignored.

"Unfortunately, we've lost a lot of whales in the past year. We've been fighting this issue for more than 10 years. It's unfortunate we've lost the whales we have, but that's what's taken to pull everybody together."

Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association in New York, delivered several facts to the crowd about whale necropsies and recent history of unusual mortality events (UME), "because that's what matter," she said.

Heany, who was flanked by a couple of police officers for the rest of the speeches, interrupted Brady a couple times as she spoke. She offered to meet with him after the event was over to discuss their views.

Heany appeared to leave right after the speaking portion ended, exchanging a few words with people on his way out.

Heany, who works as a carpenter, said he became vocal about this issue when the death of whales started being used as an excuse to oppose offshore wind. He said he believes there is no scientific evidence linking whale deaths and wind turbines.

"When scientists are telling me, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the group that actually issued the UME, said there is no correlation," he said, "and they give other evidence of things like shipping lanes increasing after the pandemic and things like this, that climate change — we've seen a huge amount of change happening (like) glaciers melting causing whales to find new routes.

"We don't know. But whale strandings have been going on for thousands of years. (1992-93) was the last time we saw a UME similar to the one we saw in 2017. No connection to anything else. What are they gonna connect the 2,000 other sightings over the past thousand years to?"

One of the people who approached Heany to argue was Kathleen Herwig, who lives in Princeton but also has a summer home in Ocean City. She took offense to Heany assuming those opposed to offshore wind farms are dumb and said she has has been frustrated with how often protests groups have been negatively represented in the media.

Heany sys there are political motives behind the anti-offshore wind movement. Herwig said money is what is driving the decisions to allow for offshore wind farms.

"I agree with (Heany), politicians lie. All of them do," Herwig said. "This isn't politcal to me. Jeff Van Drew called me the other day (because) I wrote a very strongly worded letter (to him). I consider myself a libertarian. It's not a political thing for me. I resent the fact it's being turned into a political thing because it shuts down dialogue."

Herwig hopes more events like Sunday's continue through the offseason. With the news at the end of August that Ørsted would delay the first offshore wind farm in New Jersey until 2026 due to supply chain issues, Herwig and others hoped that didn't let people think the battle is over.

Is there a fear of the inevitable if offshore wind farming does happen?

"Of course," Herwig admitted. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't fear it. I'm very fear-motivated."

PHOTOS: Anti-offshore wind cairn lighting in Cape May