March 16, 2011
Letters, Maryland

Governor’s wind plans would hike prices, subsidies, taxes

Cumberland Times-News, times-news.com 16 March 2011

The article on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s latest wind proposal should give pause to citizen rate payers and energy companies alike because of the more expensive costs of renewable energy along with wind’s intermittency and unreliability.

These arbitrary and soon-to-come state mandated energy price increases, massive subsidies and increased taxes will dramatically reduce our living standards, while favoring government subsidized special interests over free market competition.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that the costs of electricity produced from coal powered plants will actually decrease over the next 20 years. Let’s not forget the 70 percent increase in energy costs by BG&E following deregulation.

Moreover, there will be little responsibility and accountability when the bills must be paid for in 25-year contracts when the governor is long gone from Annapolis.

While wind energy may give some a warm and fuzzy feeling, does anyone really honestly believe that wind power will replace or diminish coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy?

John N. Bambacus

Frostburg

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/16/governors-wind-plans-would-hike-prices-subsidies-taxes/