O’Malley’s wind farm: a bad idea
Baltimore Sun, www.baltimoresun.com 6 March 2011
Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to require Maryland utilities to buy electricity at above market rates from wind turbines located in the Atlantic Ocean may create a nice green credential for an aspiring national politician, but it would be bad for Maryland (“O’Malley wind plan draws questions,” March 4). The proposal would require every Marylander to pay more for energy than would be the case if utilities could buy electricity on the open market. In effect, it is a tax on energy with the tax proceeds going to the wind farm developers. If enacted, this proposal would make Maryland a more expensive and less desirable place to live and do business than many other states.
The plan is also bad for environmental policy, as it locks in place a high-priced technology. Maryland will be committed to this uneconomic technology, thereby making it more difficult for innovative ways of producing green energy to find a market.
Robert A. McIntire, Towson
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/06/omalleys-wind-farm-a-bad-idea/