Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s convincing victory in the governor’s race is seen by supporters of renewable energy as a boon for New Jersey’s struggling offshore wind sector.
When the four-term Democrat came to Washington in 2017, she established herself as a strong advocate for offshore wind projects. As a gubernatorial candidate, she reiterated her support for renewables, particularly offshore wind, and was the only Democratic candidate to do so.
This is in contrast to New Jersey’s gubernatorial incumbent Phil Murphy who was once a strong advocate for offshore wind but seemed to move away from that renewable option recently as President Donald Trump voiced his opposition to the sector. Sherrill’s Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, ran on a vow to ban future offshore wind development.
Sherrill will take office next year without any offshore wind projects operational or under construction along the state’s 130 miles of coastline. Another setback for the industry occurred earlier this month when Shell said it has officially ended its involvement in the Atlantic Shores wind project off the coast of New Jersey, marking the company’s withdrawal from the U.S. offshore wind sector.
Atlantic Shores had received approval from federal regulators in October 2024 for a 2.8 GW development off the coast of southern New Jersey, but it faced escalating hurdles this year, with Shell initially announcing in February that it would pause its involvement.
Other East Coast states such as Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, and Rhode Island have raced ahead of New Jersey for offshore wind development via tax breaks and have laid out plans based around grid and clean-energy goals centered around the growth of wind energy.
“In-state produced power through offshore wind and other renewable technologies is the only path forward to ensure carbon reduction while prioritizing price stability, economic growth, and resource adequacy,” said Paulina O’Connor, executive director of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance, an advocacy group whose work is funded in part by wind developers, told the media outlet Canary Media.
Sherrill made a campaign promise to freeze New Jerseyans’ utility rates through a State of Emergency declaration on Day 1 of her administration. She is inheriting a mandate from Murphy to guide the state to a 100% zero-emissions power grid by 2035.
