Steve Sweeney

TRENTON – Senate President Steve Sweeney today welcomed news that state officials have approved permits for a wind turbine project nearly three miles off the Atlantic City coast, green-lighting what may become the nation’s first off-shore wind farm.

According to published reports today, Fishermen’s Energy has received the go-ahead from state regulators to move forward with its plan for constructing a six-turbine, 25-megawatt wind-energy system 2.8 miles from Atlantic City’s boardwalk, capable of powering 10,000 homes.

TRENTON – Senate President Steve Sweeney today unveiled a new website – www.njbenefitreform.com – to cut through the politically charged rhetoric and confusion to provide fact-based information on potential reforms to public employee pension and health benefits.

“Public employees are being bombarded with conflicting and oftentimes flat-out wrong information about the pension and health benefit reform proposals that have been introduced,” said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “This site cuts through the static and myths to provide a simple, nonpolitical side-by-side comparison. I am confident that when provided with the facts, rank-and-file public employees will come to realize that reform is essential to ensuring they actually can rely on the benefits they have been promised and deserve.”

TRENTON: Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney today unveiled shared services legislation that would result in taxpayer savings through the elimination of government redundancies, while creating concrete fiscal consequences for local government entities that refuse to enter into sharing agreements that could help their property taxpayers.

“The taxpayers of New Jersey simply can’t handle their property tax burden anymore. Residents demand greater government efficiency and greater savings,” said Sweeney. “It is well past time we stop just talking and really do something to provide the incentives needed to get us moving in the right direction on shared services. Simply put, if a town can save money through sharing services and decides not to do so, they are going to lose out on state aid. If you do not want more cost-effective government, than the taxpayers of New Jersey should not be footing the bill.”

TRENTON – Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney issued the following statement today regarding the Senate’s attempt to override the governor’s vetoes on several pieces of the “Back to Work NJ” legislation. The bills voted on today did not receive a single Republican vote. The total vote for all five bills was 115-80. The original combined vote total for the exact same bills, before the governor vetoed them, was 187-2:

“The bills we voted on today would have created tax breaks for small businesses. They would have created jobs for middle and lower income residents, while stimulating economic growth throughout New Jersey.