Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco and State Sen. Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland) sharply criticized Gov. Phil Murphy’s decision to withhold information that Orsted was likely to cancel their New Jersey offshore wind project from the public after learning about it last week, questioning whether he was hoping the news would not break until after the November 7 general election.
“It is very disturbing that the Murphy administration knew about Orsted’s decision a week before an official announcement was made. This kind of unacceptable behavior is further evidence of Governor Murphy’s lack of transparency and his administration’s desire to keep the Legislature in the dark.”
Offshore wind had become a campaign issue in several hotly-contested legislative races and caused some building trades unions to make endorsements and spend money based on a belief that the Orsted project would create jobs.
Bucco and Testa suggested that the cancellation of the project would become the subject of a legislative investigation if Republicans take control of the State Senate in next week’s election.
“Keeping this information quiet is suspect and calls for speculation as to whether he wanted Orsted to delay their announcement until after the election,” the two GOP state senators said. “This is all the more reason why legislative hearings are long overdue.”
They said that Murphy’s behavior “should come as no surprise.”
“He has ruled New Jersey like a king. His handling of Orsted is akin to his attempt to hide information about nursing home deaths during the pandemic and his failure to keep veterans safe,” Bucco and Testa stated. “This is not the kind of leadership that New Jerseyans deserve. It is time for a change.”
The New Jersey Globe has confirmed that the Governor’s office was told last week that the project was in trouble. Democratic legislative leaders were notified on Tuesday morning, while Republicans learned about it from the New Jersey Globe.