NJ spending $6M for wind and other clean energy projectsNew Jersey is spending almost $6 million to train workers for jobs in the wind energy industry and to support young companies that deal in clean energy.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the state Board of Public Utilities said Wednesday they have approved two funding agreements.
In the first, the state will provide $4.5 million to support workforce development projects aimed at preparing more New Jersey workers for jobs in offshore wind.
Examples include a competition to develop the first Global Wind Organization safety training program in the Mid-Atlantic region; wind turbine technician training programs; a plan to establish pathways for New Jersey students and workers to enter the offshore wind industry; and seminars about offshore wind job creation for labor unions, high schools, vocational technical schools, colleges, and universities.
In the second, $1.25 million will be made available to support early-stage, New Jersey-based clean tech companies. The NJEDA plans to use this funding in partnership with the New Jersey Commission on Science Innovation and Technology to develop a grant program to aid local clean tech businesses during the proof-of-concept and prototyping stages.
Murphy suspends removal of informal turnpike flag displays
Gov. Phil Murphy this week overruled the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s decision to remove informal displays of the American flag from highway overpasses.
The Democrat announced during his afternoon coronavirus briefing that the removal of flags would be suspended and that he did not like the idea, NJ Advance Media reported.
Turnpike Authority officials said that displaying flags, posters or any display of any kind is a violation of an administrative rule.
Republican State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon said that the proliferation of many types of flags does pose safety and legal concerns.
“I’d have preferred they come to us and say let’s solve it legislatively, rather than tear them all down,” O’Scanlon said.
Veteran groups echoed that sentiment and suggested that common sense laws for flag display could be a remedy to those concerns.
“They could come out with some guidance on proper display of flags on overpass, it could be a simple fix ... like adopt-a-highway,” said Kenneth Hagemann, Veterans of Foreign Wars state adjutant, adding that the VFW wasn’t against regulations for the sake of safety or respect.