Paulina Banasiak O’Connor is a veteran political strategist. She was a director of legislative affairs for Gov. Phil Murphy and, later, a lobbyist for the Zita Group.
So, she knows a thing or two about courting public trust and confidence. And that’s a big part of the job she took earlier this year as executive director of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance.
She said there’s a need to counteract “a loud minority’s” consistent attacks against the industry she now advocates for. She also views misinformation as rampant.
“When it comes to that, I don’t know that we’ve corrected the situation — much more needs to be done,” she said. “We’re working on that, alongside tremendous partners in environmental advocacy, academia and labor unions. But it’s hard to see what’s around the corner on misinformation.”
Banasiak O’Connor explained there’s been a fixation on offshore wind’s alleged deadly impact on marine life, which she claims has been disputed by research, data and commentators. Another talking point for opposition groups, a big one this summer, has been electromagnetic fields and radiation from onshore transmission that could convey power from offshore sites.
“Really, our goal and mission has been to be the voice of the industry to convey to policymakers … that the benefits of offshore wind counteract some of the misinformation,” Banasiak O’Connor said. “As part of that, we’re really building a strong coalition of supporters to right-size public opinion.”
The New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance pushes back against this opposition alongside its partners in offshore wind and other clean energy organizations. They operate under MAREC Action, or the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition, a regional nonprofit clean energy advocacy group in the PJM grid region.
Evan Vaughan, executive director of MAREC Action, said the misinformation about the sector doesn’t appreciate that “these projects take years and years of study and analysis to develop.” He acknowledges that there are always legitimate concerns that need to be addressed.
