The County of Cape May Board of Commissioners Director Len Desiderio issued the following statement with regard to NJ Senate Bill 4019:

Senate Bill 4019 hangs by a thread at this hour because it is bad for New Jersey electricity customers.  The scheme to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives away from ratepayers and into the pockets of a foreign corporation was always a bad idea.  It amounts to a regressive tax on hard working New Jerseyans all over the state who will have higher electric bills as a result.  It also enables the despoiling of our Atlantic Coast, threatens our tourism and fisheries industries and has pushed aside all local opposition and concerns.

The word out of Trenton right now is that Senator Bob Smith is scheduled to return from a trip out West later tonight and the vote is going to remain open until he can be brought to the Statehouse.

On behalf of the families, visitors and small businesses of Cape May County, I am urging Senator Smith to vote “No” or abstain on this terrible bill.   By having the courage to do so, Senator Smith will shift the financial burden for construction of offshore windmills off the backs of New Jerseyans and onto Orsted, a multinational, for-profit corporation that is majority owned by the Danish government.  How anyone ever thought this bill was a good idea is astonishing.  It is now completely up to Senator Smith to do the right thing for the people of New Jersey.

This is not a partisan issue.  It is a fairness issue.  It is a household economics issue.  It is a New Jersey family pocketbook issue.  And Senator Smith can send a clear message that he support New Jerseyans and not the profit margins of a massive, foreign corporation.