Stop the wind turbines off the Jersey Shore (Opinion)

We've been talking a lot about wind turbines in New Jersey over the past few months as Gov. Murphy continues to virtue signal to the radicals in his own party.

We know from the federal government using decades of data, that using wind to power the grid is costly and less effective than most other sources.

We also know that America has the cleanest air of the industrialized world with the world's pollution largely coming from India and China.

Sadly, millions of people die annually from pollution-related illness. India, China, Nigeria, Indonesia and Pakistan top the list of countries with the most pollution-related deaths worldwide.

When you look at the United States and compare deaths per 100,000 people, we rank 132nd.

So there is clearly a pollution problem in the world. But clearly not in the United States, and certainly not in New Jersey. The reality is that on three energy-related fronts, the U.S. leads the way and should serve as a model for the rest of the world.

First, nuclear power. Safe, effective and the top efficient producer of electricity available to us. Nuclear scores a capacity factor of nearly 93%. Wind doesn't even come close.

The next top producer is natural gas, which is clean, effective and produces 46% of New Jersey’s electricity while being used in the homes of 75% of residents.

The policy need here is to spend infrastructure money to invest in our pipeline infrastructure — also the safest way to transport from a personal injury perspective.

The third is generating electricity by recycling the methane produced by landfills. That's right, landfills take the trash and companies like Waste Management turn that into power for your home.

Again, clean, effective and being implemented as we speak.

We were joined by Congressman Jeff Van Drew on the show explaining his opposition to the wind farms.

Congressman Van Drew added his opposition mentioned the fishing industry impact, the fact that the Governor's plan will competently ignore local zoning transferring power to shore and the cost of replacing and repairing the engines and the blades on a regular basis.

I mentioned the fact that the U.S. already has some of the cleanest air on the planet and Jeff added that if we eliminated ALL natural gas use in the U.S., it would only account for less than 1% of global emissions!

This in addition to the fact that the proponents are silent about the extraordinary amount of oil and diesel fuel needed to keep the machine lubricated and running, so we're not even breaking away from fossil fuels with this move.

Dr. Bob Stern who heads up a group called "Save LBI" joined us as well.

From a policy perspective, we need to bring in a company like Waste Management and convert NJ landfills into energy producers. Then we need to commission another nuclear plan while making the investment into our pipeline infrastructure.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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